Fiery Rose: Forbidden Love
by NeoMiniTails
Summary: After Usagi Tsukino's disappearance, Rei Hino begins to search for her while taking care of Chibiusa. Kurama keeps having dreams about a certain girl from his past and doesn't understand them. Yusuke Urameshi. Shuichi Minaminom and Kuwabara are given the mission to kill the Mars Princess. Inuyasha crossover. Kagome and the gang return to the present time to find Naraku.
1. Sayonara Grandpa

_**Author's Note: This is Neo, the original author and also the one remaking a story that I started in 2005. It was called "Fiery Rose," and it has always held a special part of my heart. **_

_**There is an obvious difference in the writing style since back then and now as I'm older and more developed mentally and stylistically. It won't be totally different, but it is a remake, not a rewrite.**_

_**As with the original, the main cast of the story will be from Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, and Yu Yu Hakusho with the latter two taking the cake for being the main set of characters that I will be using.**_

_**The main coupling: Rei Hino x Kurama**_

_**Rei Hino is a mixed of both the anime and manga version of herself. Personally, I do prefer the manga version for its story and the strength difference, but I love both versions and with both versions being used, I feel it'll make the story more complete.**_

_**And so it begins…**_

Chapter One:

"Why do you hate me?"

The woman's voice seemed to whisper throughout the land, a soft indistinct tone. Still, he knew who was speaking, a woman whom cursed his soul with each moment of the day. The breeze felt sharp on his skin as he raced through the forest, his heart wary.

"When did our heart become so dirty… stained with bloody betrayal…?"

The words cut like a knife, slicing through every sane part of him. He didn't understand his own motivations or why he kept trying to find "this" girl or why he didn't question it. "Where are you?!" He yelled but noticed a change in his normal tone, this voice not belonging to his human counterpart but the person whom he casted off long ago.

Mind frantic, soul shaken, Kurama ran towards the sound of running water, knowing that it'd be closer to civilization. Closer and closer, he could hear himself getting closer to the water but the voice was neither closer nor closer to him. Coming to a halt, he stalled as the lake reflected his very image like a mirror, his cold golden eyes tearing at his spirit and silky silvery colored hair glistening in the light of the moon.

"Shui-chan," the woman's voice came out clear and suddenly distinct, her tone proper and oddly, he felt calm yet nervous. He felt guilt and yet a longing for the woman behind the voice, mixtures of emotions that shouldn't have been there.

"Is that you, my priestess?" Kurama, without even a thought, responded.

"Sorry…" Soft hands touched his face while standing behind him and for a moment, he felt that shouldn't turn around and see the person before him. "Sorry my little Youko… I never meant to hurt you; I never wanted to leave you." Kurama could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin and suddenly he couldn't take it anymore. He had to see her. That voice, her touch, her scent, he knew those things from long ago, a time before anything mattered.

There was one problem. When he turned around him, she was gone and the only thing that stood before him was fog, the scent of white Casablanca, and the world before him started to crumble away. He was waking up.

"You keep cursing my dreams, don't you?" Kurama woke up, looked into the mirror in his room, only to find that he, the human, was staring back at him.

"Shuichi-kun, could you help me with the groceries outside?" Kurama could hear his mother outside, calling him by his human name, the name that he, himself, had become so accustomed to over the years.

'Hai." He responded quietly as he rose up from his bed, surprised by his dreariness the past month, falling asleep mid-afternoon, shaking off the dream then hurrying to get up.

'I'll see you again, I'm sure!' The voice startled Rei awake, her mind foggy and unaware of her surroundings. Her violet eyes looked around, only to see anything but the one whom the voice belonged to, their eyes as confused as her soul.

"Hino-san, are you feeling alright?" A young girl whispered, her soft brown eyes genuinely worried for the odd Shinto priestess.

"I'm fine." Rei responded, her tone devoid of her emotions, sounding as strong and classy as ever. She straightened her back and waited for the nun to continue the lecture without causing any further problems.

She tried to erase the memory of that voice from her mind as the day went on, but all she could hear was that person with that voice speaking to her in that damn cheerful voice. It broke her heart because she could still remember that sad smile trying to cheer her up before disappearing.

"Hino-san!" The same girl from earlier in class ran towards her, screaming her name. Rei turned and smiled as she was accustomed to doing while in school, being polite and formal. "I'm so glad that I could catch up to you! Who knew such a pretty lady like you can be so quick?" The girl giggled.

Rei didn't see it necessary to fake a laugh so she didn't. It was better not to encourage small talk although she knew it didn't really matter as Lina was going to do what she wanted to do.

"You've seemed down lately, Hino-san." Her short hair bobbed up and down as she tried to keep up, her dark brown eyes matching her hair.

"Do I?" Rei asked genuinely, remembering a time when people could hardly read her except her mother and her grandfather. Had she changed so much since becoming a sailor senshi? Had Usagi changed her that much? "Did you have a question for me?' The fiery priestess didn't want to be rude however, she had to keep to her guns, her original intent in getting home as quick as possible.

Lina, seeing Rei's impatience, took the hint and decided to forget about trying to have small talk until she noticed one of the nuns come running out of the private school, her eyes tired and worrisome.

"Hino-chan! Hino-chan! I have to speak with you." Sister Juniper called out.

Rei sighed exasperated, wondering why it seemed everyone wanted to keep her in this school. "Yes, Juniper-san." Rei smiled before meeting her eyes and before she could say anything, "Sister, is there something wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, my child!" The often soft-spoken nun cried out, tears lacing her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" Rei smiled gingerly, hugging the nun to her chest, comforting her. "I'm really okay. Did Lina say some-"

"Oh, you're so strong and to be here, of all places…"

Another nun came walking towards them, her eyes focused on the two and with one hand, she told the other young girl to go to her on-site dorm. "I'm sorry about your grandfather." The woman kept on speaking, but Rei didn't hear another word, it felt almost like the world had frozen over.

What did she just say? Sorry? Grandpa? Rei's mind went into a frenzy as she tried to keep her calm, listening but not hearing the woman.

"Wh-What do you mean by 'sorry?'" Rei asked, her eyes begging for the explanation to be different from what she knew what was coming.

"Oh. I thought that you knew. Your father told us this morning that your grandfather expired."

"No, that can—No, that can't be true. He was okay, just this morning… H-He told me that he felt…" Her voice trailed off, her throat caught, memories flashing through her mind. She couldn't imagine him any way besides smiling and telling her that it would be okay.

Without a second thought, she ran out the courtyard, not daring to cry. He couldn't be dead. They were mistaken. Maybe, he fell down and someone just got it wrong. How could someone so wonderful, so powerful, and so kind die?

Rei couldn't deal with losing another important person. She had already lost too many!

Kurama smiled slightly, his face slightly red from the surprise of seeing all his friends with mother, helping her out.

"Yo Shuichi!" Yusuke grinned as he handed off a paper to him, no doubt from Reikai, possibly Koenma wanting him and the rest of the team on a new mission. Honestly, even if this were the reason that everyone came over, it still somewhat made him happy which was strange to him seeing as friendship became something so important to him nowadays.

"Hey Bo-chan," Shiori Minamino called out to Botan from the kitchen, "can you help me in the kitchen while the boys finish with the bags."

"Sure, Minamino-sama!"

"Bo-chan, you're so formal!" Shiori giggled, the young looking woman's laughing lines becoming visible, "But I guess it's better than saying Minamino-obasan!"

"Minamino-sama, you're too young to be called that!" Botan shot back almost immediately. The two continued on that way for some time, insulting themselves then complimenting the other. It was the usual way that Botan and her acted around each other.

"Bo-chan, you're going to make a wonderful bride for my son one day!" The older woman exclaimed before clapping her hand over her mouth, embarrassed. The red-headed teen's face turned the shade of his hair as the girl mentioned just seemed to smile shyly at the accusation.

Yusuke walked past the blushing teen, jumped over the couch into its cushion, grabbing the remote, turning on the television in some of the quickest movements ever known to man as Shiori Minamino smiled disapprovingly.

"Yu-kun, please don't do that."

"Gomen nassai Obasan!" Yusuke called out nonchalantly, his mind already on the sights on the screen. He kept turning the channel until finally he heard Shiori ask him to stop on the news channel.

Kurama's eyes widened at her asking to watch the news. She had never been one much for watching the news, claiming that it was just so negative, never positive.

"Shuichi, that girl…" Her voice trailed off, her eyes suddenly saddened. "That's Hino Rei, the governor's daughter."

Hino Rei? He turned and tried not to give any hints to whether he had known her before. Still, he was sure that his mother was just talking as that girl had never been the type to allow the media in any parts of her life.

Walking over to the couch, he slid himself comfortably into a cushion, his eyes never once leaving the screen, never leaving the girl on the screen. It was definitely her. It was definitely Rei.

Rei climbed the stairs to her temple with Chibiusa running behind her, the little girl out of breath but knowing better than telling her. She didn't know what was going on but knew it wasn't good. She had never seen her like this before, showing her emotions so evidently to the world around her.

Finally, she couldn't take it and stopped, feeling as if her lungs would collapse if she kept trying to keep up.

Rei turned, her eyes sad and lacking its usual brilliance, and smiled for the little girl. "Sorry Chibiusa. Wait right here, please."

"Okay."

"Catch your breath, okay and I'll be right back." She tried to sound as comforting as possible, a tone that she had mastered the last few months but was failing at this moment. Something said to say something else to ensure that everything was fine but her mind and soul failed to listen as she instead continued up the stairs.

"What a shame! What a shame for something like this to happen!" Rei could hear a familiar voice speaking as she got closer, a low husk voice with a prim and proper matching her own. "In a perfect world, situations like this would never happen to good people, a senior citizen having spent his entire life selling luck and romance to the public, praying for the goodness in everyone."

"Papa?" Rei thought aloud.

"Ah, here's my daughter! Rei-chan, she must be here to pay respects!" The politician said upon seeing his daughter, the cameras and lights shining like a movie set, the star being her father. "Come here, Rei-chan! I was saying, if I am elected as prime minister, I will ensure all my citizens that I will do all in my power to provide better health care!"

Rei slowed down, her heart racing, her mind running even faster. For a moment, everything felt still as she looked to see, as if on cue, her grandfather being carried out the temple walls in a body bag. She could hear her father babbling, his words beautiful and poised, insincere at best.

She tried to gather her thoughts but a part of her felt an intense burning inside her. Why was her father saying these things? Why wasn't a single tear in his eyes? Why hadn't he come home before today?

"In the wake of this tragedy, I'm here for my daughter; she and I will be the one comfort for one another after losing now my wife and father. Nothing can express my innermost feelings."

If looks could kill, the whole crowd would've been assassinated by Rei. "You're a liar." She whispered then screamed it a second time.

"Rei, my daughter, what are you saying?" He asked as he motioned for the camera to be turned off.

"You're a liar, and you know it! How can you say those things and still, your conscious don't bother you?" She seethed, the fumes in her heart coming out, "Mama died…. Mama died and now, my grandfather. You practically pulled the trigger and allowed to bleed out!"

"Stop saying nonsense!" he shouted, his eyes looked as if they would pop out of its socket. "You're just speaking emotionally! Haven't I taught you better—"

Instinctively, Rei slapped her father with every force she had in her body which fortunately for him, it wasn't very much due to her exasperation. "Don't you dare take any credit for teaching me anything! That man, the man whom raised me with his very last breath, the one you had given me up to when mother died, he did everything for me!"

She could see her grandfather smiling and telling her that one day, she would understand what it meant to be happy! She could remember when he comforted her when she found out how Kaidou had been engaged to another woman of her father's choice.

Tears in her eyes, she screamed, "Why didn't you call back!? Papa, why didn't you come see him when he asked you? All he wanted to do was see his son once again before he passed away! I asked you to pay for his medical treatment… that wasn't too much! Now, he's gone! He's gone! The only person I have left in this world is gone!"

Everyone was gone. They were all gone. She found herself thinking about Usagi and her grandfather, her heart aching. Usagi disappeared, and her grandfather whom moved on to a world that she could no longer see his tender smile.

"Rei, I didn't know! I'm so sorry! I'm so—"

Rei stopped herself upon seeing Chibiusa coming up the stairs, holding Luna-P close in hand. Her eyes couldn't meet her father's or the little girl whom put on a brave face, pretending not to hear a word that she had spoken.

"I'm sorry, Papa. You're right. I said things that I didn't mean. I guess I'm just a little bit emotional." Rei corrected her posture, her fair skin sweaty and she bowed low to the earth in apology, deciding to not make a fool of herself.

The cameramen, outside of her father's media camp, went crazy, staying on the temple grounds even after her father left, trying to get the scoop on the world inside the politician's daughter's world.

It wasn't too long before they had left, deciding that she would not bother with trying to be in the limelight.

"Stupid onna…" A cold voice iced through the air, a tone that belonged to a teen that Kurama didn't even realize had even come into his home.

"Hiei?" Kurama turned to see his short friend behind him, his red eyes as cold as they were the last time he had seen him. It was strange to see him with his mother being there as, for as long as Kurama could remember, they had never met in front of his mother, possibly because of the protection that he wished for his family.

Without a single word, Kurama wordlessly asked him, "You remember her?"

With a nod, the answer was obvious however a worded answer made it even clearer. "Your distraction."

Botan looked up and pretended she wasn't listening to their conversation.

Three hours after the incident at the temple

Rei walked into the governor's office, having put Chibiusa to sleep and warding off the temple, her face as beautiful as it had always been her poise as true as one could be. She looked like she could be the trophy wife, or in this case, the trophy daughter.

"Ah Rei. You're here to apologize, I assume." She didn't respond. Her violet eyes gazed into his crystalline blue eyes, wanting answers that weren't there. "Well, it's okay. My media manager will handle all the issues here, and I'll continue paying for your schooling and for your well-being."

Rei smirked. "I didn't come for any of that. I am sorry for making a fool of you and of myself, but that's not why I am here."

"Then why?" He nearly yelled, the veins in his neck on the brink of popping.

"Today was the last day that I'll be treated as your trophy daughter. You and I are a lot alike, you know that?" Rei asked, her fingers running across his books. "You've never done anything for me nor have I done anything with you in mind."

"I have always done everything for you. Rei, you know that. It's been for the memory of your mother, for my little girl, and for my daughter to take care of you all."

"And yet the only picture that you have in this office is of your mistress and the child you bore with her?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Rei…"

"I'm quitting my high school… There's no need for me to continue doing as you please as you will never do anything with me in mind if it doesn't help you somehow. A Shinto priestess going to a catholic school because it ensured that you would care for grandpa and I is no longer the case."

Her father moved from his spot and walked over to her then past her, closing the door behind them. She could see his chest heaving up and down and inside, she had hoped that he would have a heart attack in front of her so that she could pretend not to see it and not call the hospital.

Without any warning, he punched her in the stomach then slapped her in the face, screaming at her in his noise isolated room, calling her names that a pimp wouldn't call his prostitute. "Stupid girl, get out of here! You will do as I ask of you!"

Rei got up, holding her stomach, thinking about killing him but remembering her mission, she stopped herself. "I'm going to Sarayashiki High."

She didn't need to do him any harm because going to one of the lower end high schools was harm enough. It would ruin him and the image of his so-called perfect image daughter.

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Yay! I'm finished with the first chapter! I'm thinking that the first few chapters will be similar to the original story that I made but there will be obvious differences in the versions also. Yeah, I know that Rei and Kurama have no interaction in this first chapter.**_

_**Please review!**_


	2. A New Adventure

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for the reviews for the first chapter! Yes, I notice its only one review but I'm sure there'll be more so this is thank you to any future reviews too. Anyways, you'll notice that this chapter is a little more Inuyasha centric than the last chapter and much more of that side of the story than the original Fiery Rose ever had been. I wanted to give that cast more of a reason to be in the story.**_

_**The first few chapters will be preparing the ultimate story of what's going to be going on for the plot of each of the characters. Soon, I promise, Rei and Kurama will have much more time together.**_

_**Please review and thanks for reading!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own of the characters or the shows used in this chapter. **_

_**The Feudal Era**_

Miroku sat near his wife trying to calm her down. He didn't know what to say or even how to say it once it came to him. The monk stood dumbfounded which was, in itself, an understatement. How could he comfort her when he, himself, didn't know what was going on?

"They're gone. Every single one of them are gone!" She cried out. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably; it felt like it would never stop. Her children were gone! As a mother, how could she lose her children overnight?

"It's only been a few months…. I'm sure that they'll show up." Miroku cursed his lying tongue. That wasn't what he thought but he was a father, it was his job to believe in miracles even if his life, in it's current condition, showed hell at its finest. "I've gotten a letter from Kagome saying that she was going to come visit us…" he tried to change the subject.

"When did you get that?" She responded, her words muffled by her tears, eyes pink from crying. She was sure that her face was swollen from the many tears she had shed in the past few days.

"Today but it was written two weeks ago. Its possible that she and Inuyasha will be here in our village tonight or some time today."

Sango stopped crying for a moment, realizing something must have been going for those two to decide to come with a warning of a letter. They usually would just come to the village without warning and never once felt bad for doing it. For one moment, it comforted her as odd as that sounds, it comforted her with the idea that they may finally be getting an answer for all the strange happenings.

Standing up, she walked over to the tent and grabbed her clothing, tied her hair into a quick bun deciding that it was time to take a bath, a place where she could think and prepare herself for their appearance.

The lovely lady said nothing more to her husband as she tried to ease her mind of the ache that she couldn't remember the last time that it had hurt so bad. No, that was a lie. It was the same pain that Naraku caused her more than once when he was still around, the pain from losing her whole village and nearly losing her brother so long ago. For one moment, she wondered if he could have been the one causing these issues. Sure, she knew he was dead but a part of her always wondered if there was some way that he could resurrect himself.

He was probably her greatest nightmare even if she never talked about it to anyone. The shikon crystal was destroyed so it should be impossible to recreate him however if one crystal was created to be that powerful, why couldn't there be another one possibly stronger? There was always something better than the next so could that apply in that circumstance?

She removed her robe and walked into the lake; its water warm to the touch, a sensation that she hadn't enjoyed from Miroku's fingers in a long time. Outside of the children, did they have anything else linking them anymore? Since they no longer had vengeance on the mind against an evil mastermind, she felt like they no longer had very much in common.

She wondered if Inuyasha and Kagome's marriage was doing any better than her own. Her brown eyes softened thinking about them. Miroku and her only argued when they weren't discussing the past or the children but when it came to rearing the twins, they definitely had different opinions. Before now, she had never even considered their differences when she said "yes" to their marriage.

Her body felt tense even with the heat of the water, and her breast felt heavy to her chest since her baby wasn't there to nurture from the milk of her plump breast. Every mother dreamt of the day when she could wean the child away from breast milk and they never imagine that they would miss a child's suckling for their nourishment. It made her feel cold, tense, and like she could die all at once, this fear of not knowing.

What information would Inuyasha and Kagome bring with them? Would it bring her any closer to finding her children? Should they mention that their kids have gone missing to their friends or should they pretend like the children are off with another caring villager?

Almost as if she had some sort of sixth sense, a jolt of fear took over her as her mind went back to Miroku, a fear overcoming her that she didn't understand. This time, it wasn't about her marriage or even about her children. It was a fear that she just couldn't understand but got up from her bath, and began to run back to the village before slipping and finding her body suddenly burning as if it were on fire.

She felt like she was choking and could've sworn that she could see a younger version of her staring back at her in the reflection of the water. Her eyes widened knowing that she wasn't crazy but that was definitely a younger her looking back at her, the same girl that had just lost her family to that damned Naraku.

The pain stopped and she got back up, not daring to look down at the water, throwing her robe on as she ran back, terror in her soul. What was going on? Strong wind could be heard in front of her! Could that be a tornado? No, that sound was different! This sound was deathly familiar, definitely nothing natural. What was it? A hurricane? No, it was a weapon, that she knew for sure. Maybe the sound of quick swordsman?

No… she knew what it was! It couldn't be that! No, not that!

"MIROKU!" She screamed as she got closer and ran behind him, seeing the village home being lifted off the ground and into his hand along with the enemy that he was facing. She was right… it was his wind tunnel. It returned.

"It's miasma!" Miroku yelled as he held onto his hand, trying to fight back as Sango sucked in the image before her.

The village had been destroyed. Blood covered the ground, intestines splattered everywhere. She could see people with their life being sucked out of them while other youmas began attacking the others. Then it hit her! He said miasma. Miasma as in Naraku's miasma?

"Stop it, I'll fight!" Sango screamed as she watched her husband weakening, trying to protect their home. He needed to stop or he'd die!

"I can't!" Miroku yelled back, the wind becoming stronger and wider, "Sango, if the children are alive, they'll need their mother especially with this cursed wind tunnel having come back!"

Sango nearly broke down hearing him say those words. How could he think that he wasn't important enough to try to stay alive? She ran into her home and grabbed her weapon and Kirara knowing that she could never imagine waking up a day without him.

Miroku finally closed his wind tunnel upon seeing Sango run ahead of him, not willing to put her in danger! Grabbing his staff, he ran into battle knowing that it was a losing battle. There was possible sixty of them left and only two of them, two people whom hadn't been in a battle for four year!

They fought on for what seemed like hours being thrown about in every which way, cuts forming in every part of their body, the thick miasma making it hard for them to breathe.

"Miroku… If I die now, let me say, at least, it with you by my side." Sango whispered as she backed up into him, knowing that this would probably be the last words she would say to him.

"WIND SCAR!" Red and yellow energy slammed through the air destroying half of the enemies as an arrow shot through the air, destroying the other half.

Golden eyes on tan skin stared at the couple, his white hair flowing with the wind caused by his attack, a smirk forming on the handsome male's lips. "I knew I couldn't leave you two alone!" He said snidely as he jumped from the higher elevation to them, his landing smooth and as inhuman as the dog ears on his head.

"Inuyasha, please!" A pretty girl said from behind him, wearing an outfit typical of a priestess, her brown eyes large and still having an innocent belonging to children but the strength of a million soldiers. "We wouldn't be alive if weren't for your brother and Kago-san."

"You didn't have to tell them that!" He screamed back before being told to sit and his body falling down at the command.

"Sorry… we should have gotten here earlier but things are becoming strange everywhere that we went on coming here." Kagome smiled as she spoke while taking medicine from her backpack and aiding Sango then Miroku. The good thing, she thought, was that large group of youma were weak compared to the enemies that they had been battling.

_**PRESENT DAY**_

"_Daijobu! You'll be fine, Rei-chan!"_

Rei packed her bags, trying to forget everything but failing miserably. She stood before a visibly much more mature Chibiusa than the little girl that had come into her life three years ago. This little girl was 907 years old which was the physical equivalent to a twelve year old in this world.

Secretly, Rei called her a typical twelve year old which was "technically" accurate, but she was sure that the little girl standing there thought she was just as grown up as anyone else.

"Who is this?" The red-eyed princess asked, her face with incredible sudden interest. Her lips pursed together and her eyes glinting.

Rei smiled slightly before scooting over and looking to see the picture in her hands. Her violet eyes brightened, even if for a moment, upon seeing the picture, a smile crossing her glossed lips that had been missing for some time. "Oh… that's my cousin and I. We look a lot alike, don't we?" She responded purposely avoiding answering the real question.

"What about the boy?"

"Oh… him?" Rei asked, her tone quieted as she held it in her hands, a mental decision being made in her head at that moment. "Just a baka." She finally answered with a tone that sounded more like a joke than her usual coldness when speaking of the male race, in general.

"A baka? Would that baka have been your boyfriend?"

Rei only smiled. The mental decision, having been made, she put the picture into a box of "unsure junk" then went onto the next room. "Anyways, my cousin… her name is Higurashi Kagome; we'll going to stay with them for a while until I can get everything right."

Chibiusa frowned having seen that smile. It was the same smile that she used whenever she wanted to keep something from her, and lately, she used it often. It reminded her of reality, the quiet pain that they both refused to talk about since everything happened. "Rei-chan, do you think that we'll be able to find out about what happened with my mama and Usagi?"

Lowering her head, the priestess sat in the other room, not bothering to answer the question being unsure of the answer, herself. She was still confused to why Usagi suddenly disappeared and why her whole household disappeared off the map and also the queen of the future had sent her pre-teen daughter into the past with such a cryptic letter.

Honestly, she wanted to cry. The beautiful priestess wanted to just let it out. Why the heck did everything seem to be happening at the same time? Why did she have to feel so lonely? Why couldn't her grandfather be there for her?

Holding onto the compact brooch that belonged to her best friend, she tried to think of what Usagi would do in a moment like this. Would she say something naïve and positive that was only possible because she said it? Or maybe, she would be honest and direct, probably even cry while saying that wasn't strong enough then prove herself wrong. Yes, that's the more probable situation that would occur and for whatever reason, it made her smile.

"I talked to Puu and she said that there's been a time warp and that's why the people in this century have forgotten about Usagi-chan." The princess paused, her lips quivering as she thought about whether to ask the next question or even how to pose it. "You haven't forgotten her; have you, Rei-chan?"

On reaction, Rei ran up from her spot and hugged onto the younger girl, holding her as tight as possible almost as if she were afraid that she would disappear too. "I can never forget her." She whispered onto the shocked and scared pink-haired pre-teen.

"Sorry, I know that you can never forget about her."

"No, I'm sorry! I promise we'll find her! My mission has always been to protect her and to be by her side. She's fine, I know it. I can feel it. It's in my bones burning with truth and desire. My princess is strong and she'll find a way back to us." Rei spoke fervently and passionately.

Hours of packing went on by without speaking after her little speech about finding Usagi and how she had faith that everything would be okay. Rei didn't know if it actually comforted the younger girl however she didn't ask to find out either. The reality was that it was easier not talking about it and even if it was an awkward silence, it was better than talking about it.

Rei had so much to think about now. Whether it was about her life as a senshi, a civilian, or a daughter out for revenge, she needed some time to think about everything. What was she going to do now? She never planned this far ahead. In fact, it had been a month since she promised her father that she would no longer live under his guidance. Still, she was attending her school, afraid of the change-going from a place where she had attended since she was five years old in a very upscale private school to a low-class high school where Usagi had been accepted without even trying.

The idea scared her so she actually took an entrance exam for almost every school in the Tokyo area. Fortunately, she was very smart, but while that was a good thing, it was always said that while she had gotten her spiritual senses and looks from her mother, she had gotten her father's way of thinking and intelligence. She was sure that her father also had a plan.

"Rei-chan, there's some mail here for you. There are all from different high schools. Did you get kicked out or something?" Chibiusa asked while coming in, her face as confused as she imagined Usagi would have been at that very moment.

"No but today was my last day at my school."

"Is that why we're moving?"

"Yes and no." Rei couldn't admit that her father was kicking her out of her own home refusing to pay for her living expenses there if she wasn't going to follow his rules. Rei knew Chibiusa's father and knowing him, he would always do anything to make her life as easy as possible; there was no way that Rei could allow her to compare her father with that man. It was embarrassing, if anything. "I thought that living somewhere else and going to a different school would be probably best."

"I guess… so." Chibiusa responded without trying to come up with answer to satisfy her then smiled as if thinking about it just made so much more sense. "So, what about me? Will I be leaving my school also?"

"Unfortunately, more than likely… My cousin doesn't live very close to the Juuban district even further than I do, and with the little money I have left after the bills for Grandpa's hospitalization, I don't even have enough for everyday bus fare." It was probably the first completely honest statement Rei had made since the younger girl had been living with her. Rei frowned slightly before turning to her, "I'm sorry. Really, I am… This is probably scar—"

"Daijobu! We'll be fine. Yeah, it'll be scary but all adventures are, aren't they?"

Moist violet eyes stared back at the young girl, tears near falling for she could have sworn that she had seen her princess right there when she had spoken. When did Chibiusa mature so much? How was it that she became so much like Usagi without her knowledge? How was she comforting her rather than it being the opposite ?

"I guess you're right." Rei said as she looked at the letter before her noticing one from Meiou High School sticking out in the middle. "That baka wanted to go there when we your age."

Chibiusa rolled her eyes. "I'm 907 years old." She laughed.

"You know what I mean… we were twelve years old, and we would always talk about our dreams and the future. He was usually unsure for the most part, but one thing was for sure-he wanted to go to the school where his mother and my mother went to growing up."

"Your parents knew each other?"

"Knew each other?" Rei laughed, "They were best friends. They used to joke about how they could be family if the two of us ever got married."

The mystically pretty priestess smiled the most genuine smile thinking about the past as if the past had some kind of hold on her heart. Chibiusa almost wondered if Rei could have unknowingly been in love back then.

"I wonder if he ever got in…" Her words thinly hit the air as she got up to get dressed.

_**The Feudal Era**_

It had been a week since the day that Inuyasha and the gang were reunited, finding Shippou on the way, having decided to travel again. They didn't really tell the couple about why they came to see him or why they insisted that they needed to go with them on a journey, but Sango and Miroku had a feeling that they knew the reason.

It wasn't until they got to their destination that Kagome finally turned to explain herself and her husband. "The shikon crystal has been restored into this world and we're afraid that Naraku has been reincarnated or possibly resurrected." She finally said, her glossed lips contorted into a frown as she took a look at everyone's sad faces.

"You've grown so strong, Kagome." Sango said almost instinctively as if she were avoiding the subject or afraid of where the subject would be going.

Kagome's eyes widened with a surprise and a sudden joy that harkened within her soul. "And you, too. Sango, you're amazing. I know about the children…"

Sango stood shock. How could she know? Did Miroku tell her?

"Lately, it's like I have ESP. I've been getting visions and feelings as if I can see the future and all sorts of things. However, I think that its because something has happened to us… like this world has fallen back in time and the only people whom have notice are the ones whom battled Naraku."

Sango remembered how it seemed like she had seen a younger version of herself staring back at her when she was bathing. At first, she doubted herself but hearing it come from Kagome almost made it seem legit. "So is it actually extra sensory perception?"

"It may be but I doubt it. I've always somewhat had the ability with being able to sense auras, but seeing the future, it may be a fluke of me being able to reason the past and future and trying to make sense of things." Kagome tried to explain herself. She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes lying flat on her face as she tried to remember the reason why they came here. "I believe that we may need to go to my original time or at least, Inuyasha and I. It feels like the dark energy causing this problem isn't coming from this timeframe."

"No, we'll go with you!" Sango responded sharply.

"N-Nani? Are you sure?"

"H-Hai. If my children are in danger and the cause of it is somewhere else, I need to be there. I want to be the first person they see! They need to know that their mother loves them! What if they are also in that world?" Sango answered quickly as her thoughts raced faster than the speed of sound.

Shippou seemed to be the only one not bothered by the de-aging process that the others had been forced to go through. Looking to be about 10 or 11 years old, the boy jumped forward, his greenish blue eyes as excited as they had always been as a child. "I agree. I want to be able to protect all of you and my world!"

Miroku nodded as he rubbed Sango and Kagome's butt in agreement.

Inuyasha crossed his arms in annoyance. "Let them do whatever they want. We have enough shards anyways to get all of us through to the other side."

Kagome nodded then smiled, an excitement overcoming her, a new adventure would be starting and they'd all be together again. This time, they'd be in her time. A part of her questioned her decision but an equal and opposite feeling said "whatever, let's do it."

"Then hold our hands and don't let go when we go into the well, okay?"

They all agreed and hoped that it would work seeing as it had never been done.


	3. The New Mission

Botan had come in early to the meeting as she had always been accustomed to since the beginning of her reaping. Her pretty face looked worried and stressed upon looking at the folders that Koenma had her prepare before the spirit detective would come in.

Her pink eyes wary and her posture broken, she smiled while trying to pretend that the new mission hadn't worried her. She always respected Koenma and generally, the grim reaper didn't disagree with her boss's plans but today, it felt different. It could've been being in the Ningenkai that had changed her, being around the humans whom expressed emotions so beautifully and it didn't take a genius to assume that it was starting to affect her mentally.

Still, saying that being around them was affecting her job and mission—well, that was disallowed. The pretty female had promised Koenma that staying in the human world wouldn't change her, but it was a lie that she knew before she even made the promise. The world had already changed her.

The day that she met Yusuke changed her then with each person that she met after him, there was no turning back.

It was for that reason that when she read the new mission, herself, that her heart began to ache. It was an assassination, this mission. She couldn't remember if the missions had always been like that or if she was just being over-sensitive. Either way, she didn't like it.

"Anything wrong, Botan?" Koenma asked.

"This mission… it's an assassination?"

"Correct." Koenma answered without allowing her to go into a ramble about it. "My father has demanded it to be done. It is of utmost concern to him. I cannot defy him." He made his point clear, making it clear to her that her opinion, at this moment, did not matter.

George the ogre stood up, physically bothered by the entire situation. "I still say it's wrong! We could start…"

The difference in reactions was notably clear. "NOBODY ASKED YOU! GET BACK TO LICKING STAMPS!" Koenma yelled back, his pacifier nearly falling out his mouth.

The doors opened and it was clear that the Spirit Detectives had made it into Makai. Kuwabara came running in with a gleeful childish smile on his face with an almost exaggerated excitement about having a new mission. The funny part was the Koenma had never even said that he could join Yusuke and Kurama on this new job, but he didn't bother voicing that as he knew he'd be helping them anyways.

Kurama and Yusuke came in at the same time. They both seemed indifferent to the whole thing. If only they could also share Kuwabara's excitement.

Botan passed out the folders before noticing something that she hadn't expected. Hiei was also there. "Oh… let me go make another copy… let me burrow your's, Kurama." Botan quickly stated before running off to get copies.

"'Ey little man, I'm surprised you're taking order from old man." Yusuke spoke out after hearing the new mission. To be honest, the whole mission irked him. After learning of what King Enma had been doing before Koenma became the ruler of Makai, any thing that came from that trash bothered him. King Enma was cold and a liar.

"In general, I must agree… however, there has been many issues going on in Reikai and in Ningenkai that you may not have noticed but I'm sure Kuwabara has noticed the subtle changes."

Kuwabara looked up and smiled embarrassedly. "Y-Yeah, I noticed. Haha. I didn't think nothing of it."

"Well, you should have. This entire doesn't have very long to survive and the reason for it is the person mentioned in the papers."

Kurama stayed quiet as the three other males began discussing the mission. He turned to look at Hiei but the younger teen had already left as if he had only come to hear what was going on. It bothered him a bit but he hadn't really seen him for some time so he could have just felt awkward and didn't want to say it.

He read the paper over and over for what seemed like hours but was merely a few minutes. There was no mistake in what it said however, it still didn't make sense. The person in the paper had long been gone from the living world, that he knew for sure so why was the report saying this person was still alive.

Trying to thinking about another subject, he focused on the other two in the room. He was surprised that Kuwabara hadn't really reacted to the mission as it did have something to do with killing a woman, but he was sure that he was so excited that he didn't even bother reading it over. Kurama was sure that Yusuke would receive a call at midnight once he actually saw what their mission would be.

However, Kurama, being the nice guy that he was, decided to point it out so that everyone would listen especially their "boss."

"Our mission is to kill the Mars Princess, am I to understand that, correctly?" Kurama asked with a poise that belonged on a lawyer.

Botan nodded her head as the other three males stopped talking (er, arguing as normal people would call it) and started listening to the red-head talk. He then asked, "How is that possible?"

"Well, unlike the human society has commissioned you to believe that aliens…"

"I'm not talking about aliens. How can we kill someone that I know has died over a thousand years ago?" Kurama stated plainly. It was clear by his tone that although it was posed as a question, it was a statement.

A silence befell them all.

Yusuke didn't understand the emotion in his voice but it was clear that Kuwabara understood the situation.

"Maybe someone is pretending to be her!" Kuwabara answered with hope in his voice that Yusuke also didn't understand. What was this conversation really about?

"As a young yoko, I met her and as a young yoko, I watched that woman die. She was a priestess of a kingdom from neither of Reikai or Ningenkai… It wasn't even of Makai." He paused as if the memory froze him in another time, his eyes much more emotional that Botan or Yusuke were used to seeing him. He walked over to the desk where George sat on the far right corner of the room where he placed the folder.

"Kurama, she had been resurrected around the same time that you came into contact with the human boy's body that you now claim known as Shuichi Minamino. I do not know the details about when or where she was born but it's definitely true." Koenma acknowledged Kurama's concerns then continued, "You are correct in saying that she is from none of those worlds because at one time, she was a planetary warrior called a sailor senshi. We called them "Warriors of the Celestial Realms" during that time."

He was going to continue but Kurama was already walking out. "Gomen nassai. Unfortunately, if I am ever to meet this princess, I may not be able to kill her unless I see that your father is correct."

Botan wanted to chase after him and see the real issue but chose to wait until she was dismissed from work to talk to him.

Chibiusa jotted notes down as she looked to the newcomer to her left side, a student that had also transferred into the school like her. It was strange to imagine that it was just coincidence that this young man had also had the same plan as she did. Still, it was nice to imagine someone else going through the same thing as her.

"Nice introduction." She giggled her dark red eyes bright with a glimmer of excitement.

"Ah, really?" The boy responded, his greenish blue eyes seemingly surprised. "Well, I did practice a thousand times last night!"

Chibiusa's eyes widened. It was shocking that he had enough time to practice his introduction after catching him with Rei's cousin near midnight over by the old abandoned well near the temple. Strange described the situation seeing as Kagome had to be Rei's age and the others seemed around that same age and maybe like the outer's ages.

Then again, she also hung out with Rei and the others, and in this century, people not knowing her real age, they probably questioned her too. Then again, even in her own century, people still questioned her because of the fact that she stayed physically and mentally the same age for nearly 900 years.

"Please keep it down. You don't want to make bad first impressions, now do you?" The teacher interrupted the two's conversation, her eyes dark and critical.

Chibiusa smiled then wrote on a piece of paper, 'Nice to meet you, Shippou! It's going to be great becoming friends.' She passed it over to him then got back to writing her notes.

Shippou took the paper and looked at it slightly confused. He had never done note passing before but with a little common sense on his side, he decided that it was for him and to read it. He didn't understand why but his heart skipped a beat and his face felt warm, his hands clammy, and his muscles tensed as he wrote back, 'Ditto.'

It was better than his original thing was going to say. It should be better than 'okay,' he thought.

Sarayashiki High School was definitely no school for rich kids, heck, it wasn't even for a middle class teen. The school was raggedy, the bathrooms were unsanitary, and the teachers were barely teachers. Being number one in exams here didn't mean much as most of the top ten students there were only getting a typical students scores in a normal school.

The principal ordered that she had stayed in his office until the day was over as he didn't want her to draw any undue attention to herself. He began by explaining how happy that her father was sending her there to learn of the common folk.

_Damn! He really was a step ahead of me._

Rei learned of how her father was now going to start paying the school enough money to allow them to have reason to raise tuition and to pay for better technology and up-to-date books in the classroom. The secretary explained that they would prefer to protect her in this office until they could get her a school outfit matching everyone else so that people wouldn't assume anything.

Rei took that as them saying 'there are a lot of thugs in our school that would take advantage of you,' but kept it to herself. She was sure that the secretary wasn't meant to say that. The beautiful priestess was also sure that the two of them were sleeping together.

The bell rang and rather than wait to be excused, Rei walked out, annoyed by her entire situation. She walked the halls in TA private Catholic girl uniform, its appearance making her stand out much more than she would have liked or would have paid attention to if it weren't for the lovely warning from the office staff. While everyone else wore a faded blue with cheaper fabric than Usagi's school, Rei wore a uniform of the finest linen (similar to that of which they used for fine kimonos), gray colored, a skirt much shorter than most public schools allowed but the norm for private schools, her skirt higher than mid-thigh. For some reason, possibly because of the other girls having much less skin showing, she felt like a dirty vixen.

'Hey pretty girl…" Rei heard a young male's voice speak, a tone belonging to a snake in her opinion.

She ignored the voice and kept walking straight finding no reason to even pretend to be nice for an obvious jerk like him.

"You're that stupid governor's daughter, aren't you?" Another voice spoke. This time the voice was much deeper and more powerful than the last. She assumed, without looking, that he must've been a much bigger guy, taller and probably more muscular. Judging by his shadow, she was probably right.

Another guy was coming but he didn't speak, but she could feel his aura full of rage and hormones and hear the sound of the worn out shoes coming close to her. This one was either the leader or the punk whom got mad when the taller guy was annoyed. Either way, she was in trouble.

She was about to turn to see her troublemakers in the flesh but the raging hormonal teenager grabbed her by the wrist and tried to dislocate her shoulder as he threw her into the ground using his body to keep her down.

"Hey Bastard! Leave her alone!" Rei could hear another male yelling from across the courtyard. She could tell it was a delinquent, but a delinquent there to help her was better than a good guy whom wasn't willing to come to her aid.

For one moment, fear overcame her and she wished Haruka or Makoto were there and they'd easily handle their extra weight and in the next moment, fear overcame her again because she could feel powerful auras coming her way.

The heavy hormonal guy was lifted off of her and she turned to see her rescuer then to the other males, the guys whom were planning to do who-knows-what to her. Within seconds, anger flared up inside the normally calm priestess as she memorized the auras of the ones helping her then ran up to the biggest guy with muscles bulging even from his neck and pressed every pressure point in his body before kicking him in his face.

The guy fell with a huge thud as her two saviors turned and were ready for him also but saw he was already unconscious on the ground.

"Arigatou." Rei said finally turning to see the two boys. Her violet eyes seemed almost relieved to have seen it was them. She had been right even without looking of what her rescuers would probably look like.

"Yeah whatever…" The darker, shorter teen said as he kicked his victim in the ribs before looking at her, himself. "I just came to pick up my girlfriend."

"You're welcome! Anytime!" Kuwabara exclaimed as he began shaking her hands like an old man whom found the perfect bride for his grandson. He began laughing dumbly and she got the feeling that he wasn't the smart nut of the bunch, but it made her smile. "My name is Kuwabara Kazuma! And that idiot, his name is Urameshi."

Rei smiled slightly and bowed after his introduction. She could have sworn she had seen them before today, and she was sure it was in a situation where she'd least expect to see them.

The one named Urameshi was on his phone yelling about how his girlfriend never answered the phone but stopped upon seeing a beautiful girl running out the school.

Rei stared for a moment wondering why such a pretty girl would be into a thug like him. It was obvious that she was the girl he was talking about by the way his aura suddenly calmed down and his tone became softer.

The girl, however, wasn't running to him but to her. It was at this moment that Rei felt like that girl made the school uniform suddenly look cute although she didn't have time to stop for this girl or for anybody else. She needed to get Chibiusa from school.

"Governor daughter's-san!" The girl yelled out nearly out of breath.

Rei turned to leave but found her wrist grabbed a second time within minutes by another guy, this time Urameshi as he was obviously trying to keep her there for his girlfriend. The raven-haired beauty had two thoughts in her head about how she could handle this: first was classily dismiss yourself and the second was throw him.

She chose the second option. Without so much as a glint in her eye, the teen was forced onto the ground by the girl in a position similar to her own a few minutes ago.

The girlfriend giggled. "It's not too many people that can do that to Yusuke."

Yusuke threw her off of him completely annoyed. "Stupid onna! See if I save you again!"

The girlfriend reached her hand out and helped Rei up. "Sorry about him. I hope he wasn't causing you too much trouble. My name is Yukimura Keiko… I was supposed to meet you after school in the principal's office to help you out with a few things but they said that you had already left."

"Sorry I was in a rush."

Keiko smiled reassuringly. "No problem, but I still need to do my job as the school's representative."

"There's no need." Rei said before taking a look at Yusuke and remembering where she had seen him. She stopped herself then looked at Yusuke and asked, "Were you at Meiou High School a few days ago hanging out with a pretty boy?"

Yusuke frowned after suddenly noticing that her face did look familiar. "Yeah so what? You haven't been following me, have you?"

Keiko sighed. This girl was going to be as difficult as Yusuke, that she could tell already. Furthermore, she had her eyes on Kurama already. "You and I need to get your body measurement for your new uniform." She interjected.

Rei nodded. "Sorry. Can I pick up a little girl from school first then I promise you that I'll do whatever you wish, Class President."

Okay so maybe she wouldn't be as difficult as Yusuke but she still couldn't tell if that white flag was sarcastic or genuine. Still, if she had eyes on Kurama, she would have to go through his fan-club and his girlfriend before she could get to him.

Botan wouldn't like this.

Exasperated, Keiko sighed again. This was going to be a long year, she could tell!

**Author's Note:**

_**Thank you for all the reviews for the second chapter! :D It makes me smile! Aquafina Rain and Chibi Earth, you are both awesome! ChibiEarth, I have missed you! Anyways, I came to the conclusion over the weekend that my writing is better without me listening to music, I get more detailed without music in my ears so this is probably my first chapter of this story without music in my ears.**_

_**Should I keep playing music while I'm writing or no?**_

_**This ends the introductory chapters of just showing where the plot is heading. What do you think? This chapter is basically YYH chapter that was lead-in from chapter one when everyone had the message that they had a new mission while at Shuichi's house.**_

_**What do you think will or should happen next? Let me know! What did you think of the interactions? Rei and Kurama will have their first interactions probably on the next chapter….**_

_**Please review!**_


	4. Shui-rama

There was a distance between her and the entire world around; she could feel it. It was taking the air from her lungs, threatening to take her away from everything. At one time, she thought, being lonely wasn't such a bad but now, the idea suffocated her. It was moments like this where she almost wished that she never met Usagi or the others then she wouldn't understand what loneliness meant.

Her heart caught in her throat, she wanted to gasp for air or scream or something to prove that she was still alive, still breathing, but she wasn't as free-spirited as Usagi nor Minako for that matter. She looked at her cellphone's clock then at a message from the pretty girl from school named Keiko whom had invited her over for movie night and a sleepover.

Initially, Rei intended to say no, but she and her friends had a way of making her do things even without getting her to truly comply. Three or four years ago, this would've pissed her off and she'd quietly walk away with a smile but have nothing to do with them again. Now, this kind of stuff just seemed normal-even to her.

They told her not to bring anything, but it would feel strange going to someone's house for the first time without gifts (or food, in this case) so she quickly turned on her heels, deciding to go rather than run away and get some food from the convenient store.

It was a strange ethereal feeling she felt upon walking into the store, she hadn't been here since before she became a senshi. At the time, she would often come here after sneaking away from the temple to go her cousin, Kagome, and their friend named Shuichi Minamino. She couldn't remember the last time that she had been there, but she knew that the last time she'd been there, it was just her and the boy.

She still didn't know why they hung around this area or why they ended every day's adventure with coming here to buy sweet snacks and drinks just because they could. Her violet eyes followed the decorations inside, the Christmas stuff already up although it'd be months before anyone would do Christmas shopping. Senior citizens lined up with their grandchildren, smiles on each face as if the store just had that effect on people.

She wondered if that was why they'd come in. Maybe, they just liked the feeling of seeing others smile the smile they couldn't.

Walking down each aisle, she could see that they changed the general layout of how it used to be, the old pine shelves were no longer there giving off its dusty pine odor. The smell used to Shuichi happy, she remembered, he always loved the smell of pine. The shelves were now just plain old metal, rusted and still carrying the smell of dust.

She wondered if they sprayed a can of dust into each shelve to make everything seem so archaic.

Going down memory lane, she wasn't paying much attention so it shouldn't have surprised her when she finally bumped into somebody, knocking her own self backwards onto the ground.

"Uh… I'm sorry, young lady." A soft voice spoke to her although she had fallen so hard that she was sure that she had fallen unconscious for a moment.

"it's okay." She responded as politely as possible trying to hide her annoyance as she opened her eyes and saw the hand but pretended to not see it and get up on her own. The last thing she needed was charity from another idiot man.

"You're still the same," The soft voice said again, his tone informal compared to the last time. He kneeled down and began picking up the random snacks that sprawled all over the floor as she looked away embarrassed, not daring to say a word.

He didn't bother saying much more as she didn't seem all that interested in speaking. Actually, he wasn't even sure on what name to call her. Could he call her by her old nickname that only he would know or maybe by her first name to show informality?

"Hino-san." He finally decided that being as formal as possible was best in this situation.

She finally looked up after having everything put back into her hand basket. "Thank you…" Her eyes met his for a moment and she quickly turned away, her cheeks slightly red. "Shui-rama!"

Shuichi's face turned completely red. "You said you wouldn't call me that in public." He nearly whispered before chuckling lightly at her amused expression.

"You said you would never call me 'Hino-san' in public so we're even." She smiled, her violet eyes shining with a glimmer of surprise and excitement. "I didn't think I'd ever see you and I shopping here again…"

They both began walking up the aisle together, his green eyes watching her cautiously, almost waiting for her to make a mistake. He was always in caution mode, never sure of what was real and what wasn't. "Why?"

"At least not together…"

He nodded and smiled a bit. It really was strange to see her; in fact, it was strange in a good way. The last time he had seen her, he was 13 and she was still 12 years old. Back then, they were always together until it became less and less after Hiei came around.

He couldn't remember why they stopped being around each other, but that really didn't matter anymore. "I heard you go to Sarayashiki High now."

Rei turned to him, and for an instant, Shuichi felt like she was doing the same thing as him. They were both being cautious and watching each other's movements.

"I do…" She admitted with a shaky smile, "I never thought you'd go to a better high school than I do." Her comment was snide, but in a way, he expected it though he didn't understand how she'd know what school he was in.

"Your mother…" She suddenly spoke again, throwing in some popcorn into her basket, "I saw her a few days ago when I went to your school to let them know that while I loved the opportunity they extended to me, I would decline."

He nodded again. The handsome red-headed boy didn't know what to say. Her eyes had looked so sad just now and he remembered why. Seeing his mother after losing her grandfather, it must've made her think about her own mother and her own grandfather.

"You should come see her every once and a while." He finally stated, "she really misses you."

Rei didn't respond, her glossy lips never parted, and her pretty violet eyes stared at ground; she looked like the same twelve year old from five years ago, the same shy, quiet girl whom only opened up to him and only him.

He patted her on her head, whispered something in her ear, then walked away.

When she finally looked up, he was gone. She couldn't hear what he said and for some reason, it stressed her out. She grabbed a twelve pack of soda and hurried to the register. Her mind said that she could beat him to the outside and if not, catch him before he left the store.

She paid 1200 more yen than she was supposed to and quickly walked out into the cold air, something that she didn't pay much attention to earlier. Her eyes searched fervently for him until she heard him speak again.

"I purposely chose to whisper much to quietly…" He finally said, his one bag in his hand as he stood there looking like he was the Tuxedo Mask's incarnation.

She frowned deeply. "Why would you do that?"

"I wanted to see your reaction."

Rei's eyes nearly cursed him out, saying words that she would never say aloud. "Baka! Baka! Baka!" She screamed, a reaction that surprised her more than it surprised him.

"I wanted to see if you were still you…"

Rei's shoulders shook angrily and she didn't understand why but he was pissing her off. She walked over to him, wanting to tell him off, but instead asked, "What did you whisper in my ear?"

"You must have forgotten when you were allowed to call me Shui-rama."

Rei turned away as he began to walk away, her face slightly red, partially from being so worked up and partially from what he said. "Baka, I didn't forget that…"

He stopped walking in his tracks but didn't turn around nor did she. He looked down almost wishing that she had forgotten.

"You said that I could only call you that once a day letting you that today was a good day. I could only say it if I was doing something that was out of comfort zone for my own good, making friends." She didn't continue as she found herself on the verge of tears, thoughts of her grandpa ran through her mind.

_'Daijobu! You'll be fine, Rei-chan!' _

She thought about Usagi's last words to her before disappearing before her eyes and how she couldn't do anything to protect her. In one moment, it felt like all the strength that she thought she had fading along with her spirit. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she wasn't okay. She would probably never be okay.

Her thoughts came to a sudden halt as she felt warmth suddenly around her. It felt as if every thought had been pushed out of her mind with a single touch, the touch of someone whom had always had the ability to do that. She wanted to be angry but she was surprised more than anything.

"Little priestess, you'll be fine." He whispered, his hands on her shoulder, his eyes viewing the mirror image in front of them, "I don't what you're going through right now, but I was wrong about you." He said, his voice strong and matured since the last time she had met him, cool and soothing as it had always been. "You're different and much stronger than before. Thanks for remembering."

Rei nodded as her shoulders finally began to stop shaking. He walked away again, this time for good.

She wanted to say something but nothing came out. It didn't matter what would be said as long as something came out whether it was thank you or something snotty and rude, she wanted to be the last one to say something to him.

He always did win at everything.

XxXxXx oOoOoO

Inuyasha and Miroku came over as soon as they got the okay from Kagome. Her bright brown eyes glittered excitedly upon seeing her husband and her friend come back from who knows where. She clapped her hands together excitedly without reason, but she couldn't really help it.

It was strange because in this world, it wasn't like how time felt in the feudal era. While she and all her companions felt time change there, her mother and no one else seemed all that bothered by it. In fact, her mother seemed unfazed by seeing her daughter as a sixteen year old again although Souta, himself, seemed so much more mature than she remembered.

He seemed to be going through Grandpa's training to become a priest in place of her although that didn't make sense since she hadn't told her parents that she'd stay in the feudal era yet (at least, according to her age.) Still, they were doing things as if the past had already happened without the stress of knowing it happened.

So far, since being here, the aura of Naraku had definitely been stronger here than it was in the past however that didn't make much difference. Kagome wasn't even sure if she felt it at all or was she convincing herself that she did. The sacred shikon jewel was back and here she was, the same age as the day that Naraku died. It felt odd and eerie.

Still, nothing felt more eerie than seeing her cousin in over 10 years… although she guess it would've been only six years in this timeline. For a moment, she confused herself more than she had already been. How did they keep it together in sci-fi movies about time travel?

How did she keep it together all the years before? Sure, it was easier with it only being the feudal era and her own era, but still now that she thought about it, she must've had a mind of steel to deal with it. In fact, right now, she wasn't even sure what age she was when the problem started! Could it have started before they even noticed or maybe her memories were more messed up now than she thought.

She wondered what her cousin would say. It was a strange thing to wonder, but it came across her mind. Rei was a year older than her, and she always seemed like the invincible hero whom she could never reach.

When they were younger, Rei had lived with them for about a month, both being trained by her grandfather to be a priestess however the violet eyed girl was always a bit ahead of her in training. No matter how hard she worked, Rei was always stronger, had a better presence, and seemed to have natural spiritual powers.

Even to her, Rei had always been a mystery, beautiful and mystical, always ahead of everyone. At one time, she admitted, it was hard to tell the other apart, but as they got older, it became clear to everyone which one became pretty and who became beautiful.

Rei was the latter. It was hard, growing up, always being compared to her. The violet eyed priestess became the apple of every male's eye and everyone that Kagome had a crush on, well, they had a crush on Rei. They would usually settle for Kagome later as if she were the cheap give-away toy that needed attention.

It was probably for that reason that Kagome had purposely made sure that Inuyasha was never home when Rei was home. That day that they had come home to her era and she'd seen Rei waiting outside, her attention on the moonlight, holding a locket, it caused the greatest fear to erupt in her heart. She could have sworn that she had seen Kikyou in all her glory.

It was possible that Rei looked even more like Kikyou than she did but prettier. Kagome didn't think it was possible but she had reached an even higher height for her to reach.

"Kagome-chan!" Chibiusa interrupted her thoughts as she ran into the room where everyone had gathered, jumping from the threshold of the entrance into Kagome's arms, hugging her. "I thought you'd be gone all day today!"

Souta walked past his sister and straight to the dog youkai. He smiled sheepishly and it was clear that he still looked up to him like that was his older brother. "Inuyasha-kun, how come you're never home?" He asked, his brown eyes annoyed and kind.

"Stupid Kagome keeps sending me off to get supplies!"

Kagome winced. "I-I told you it just in case we come to meet Naraku in this world." She answered assuming that Chibiusa wouldn't believe that they're talking about real life issues.

"I just wanna rip his guts out and get over it! Return to our ages and go back home!"

Chibiusa pretended not to listen, but upon hearing the words 'go back home,' she became instantly interested. "Kagome-chan, can you help me with my homework?"

Kagome smiled gingerly. "Sure. What do you need help with?"

"You can stay here tonight Inuyasha!" Souta exclaimed as he pulled the youkai into the house while explaining that Rei would be gone for the night at a friend's.

Kagome almost wished he hadn't said that. Although they were married in their time, she hadn't ever told her mother and grandfather. Even if she had, their marriage wouldn't even be legal in this world. As far as history was concerned, Inuyasha never existed nor did their marriage. What made it worse, one would ask? She wasn't just physically a sixteen year old, but her mind was slowly losing her true age's mentality and her own memories.

To be honest, she never felt so insecure around her own husband. If her mind was going back, what was his doing? Would he go back to still being so in love with Kikyou and forget about her? Did it mean that Kikyou would also be resurrected? Would she come back for Inuyasha? If she did, would Inuyasha choose her or would history repeat itself?

Inuyasha frowned as he walked past her then smiled ever so slyly as he nudged her. "Stop thinking so much…" he said and that was all she needed to hear.

XxXxXxXx OoOoOoOo

"Kurama-san, I didn't think you'd show up!" Botan exclaimed, a smile on her face that could make even a demon become an angel.

To be honest, he didn't know how to react to her words whether he should be upset or just laugh in response. He smiled his nothing smile and walked into her apartment, laying down the cake that he had bought and the sparkling apple cider on the counter. "Sorry I'm late."

She didn't seem to bothered by it and continued cooking in the kitchen, her apron messy from the flour and her hair tied messily behind her, possibly in a rush. Face turned to him, she started chopping onions as she began to speak to him, "I was supposed to go over Keiko's house, but I called and said that I probably wouldn't be able to make it."

"Flake."

"Hey… you're a princely person! You're supposed to say something cool or something." Botan retorted. Her face became a cute yet dorky annoyed look.

He only smiled in response. That response was all that he wanted.

"You really are a sly fox." She muttered as she lifted the cut onions and stirred it into a pot of stir fried rice.

He looked up and watched her from his spot, thinking about a song that was very popular on American radio. He couldn't remember the name, but he hummed it to himself, not knowing the words very well but the melody had always enticed him.

"You're in a good mood to be humming." Botan said as she placed the plate in front of him, "American Pop, huh? What's that song called again…"

Kurama shrugged his shoulders and started scarfing down the food. He had to eat fast as he could try to avoid the taste as much as possible. He couldn't tell Botan, but her cooking sucked! He was much happier when she microwaved.

"Ah! I remember now… It's called "There Goes My Baby" by Usher!" She exclaimed, lifting her arms in excitement, nearly knocking Kurama off his chair In the process! "I love it so much! You know that I'm an otaku for American music!" Her eyes were shining as if it had just been announced that she would become a billionaire; it was something so simple and yet she was so happy.

Kurama almost wished that he had such an happy outlook in life. That girl didn't understand English very well, but she loved to be able to memorize English songs and their lyrics. She would then sing off-key to him as he would translate for her and explain the meaning to the songs. He, on the other hand, learned of American music through her and while he didn't enjoy it the way she did, it was fun teaching her about those kind of things.

It was almost as if she were a child and he were the father, teaching her about the world around them. He finished the food in an instant as she clapped gleefully over such a trivial thing.

"You always eat it so fast! My food must be really good!"

Kurama chuckled. It was actually the opposite. "Thank you."

He got off the seat and walked over to the leather couch, letting his stomach settle as he kept humming the song until his mind stopped thinking about "right here and right now" and into "the past" then about her, the girl whom he once called a "fiery rose."

Botan watched him fall into a deep slumber without a warning. It seemed like he always came over to sleep; he claimed that he didn't sleep very well at home. He was constantly having strange dreams that he couldn't talk about and felt shame about it. When she asked him why he couldn't tell her, the young man said simply "it's just a past that I've locked away, a place that I wish didn't exist… when I see you, it goes away."

That was how many things were with him, secretive, in a place that she could never reach.

She had never seen him with such a wistful look in his eyes, a smile that she had never seen. A smile that she would like to say came from her, but that lie didn't stick well with her. He smiled often at her however even if she never admit it, it was never truly a real smile. Yeah, she knew what his true smiled looked like as he smiled truthfully whenever they got through something alive. Even then, that smile was a smile of relief.

In all honesty, she just wanted him to look at her and see only her, and when he would do that, she wanted him to smile so big that he just couldn't stop. That was how it was with her. Maybe she was selfish, wanting him for herself… even though he had so many people whom cared about him. Being in the human world, she wanted love, just like the humans that inhabited this planet.

It was that reason that she began to secretly date Kurama. She hid it from everyone but Keiko; it was one of few secrets that she was able to keep besides the ones towards Yukina about her brother. It had to be one of the most awkward exchanges ever, nothing like the ones she had seen in the anime and manga series that Kuwabara let her burrow.

She wondered if Kurama was just being nice when he agreed to be her boyfriend or if he ever really felt the same way or if he does feel that same way.

She played with his long red locks in her hand and wondered if he ever did the same thing when she was sleep or if he ever wondered if he could steal a kiss from her when she was sleep. Then she wondered if she really knew what it meant to be in love or did she have some sick notion that she knew because she read about it.

For a moment, she wondered what he was dreaming about and whether she'd like it. It would be easy to invade his mind and see it, but would he feel her aura and how would he feel about it? She laughed to herself.

Maybe she was more like a human girl than even she'd like to believe.

xXxXxXxXx OoOoOoOoO

"Do you have a boyfriend, Hino-san?" Keiko asked, her eyes not hiding her persistence. The brown haired girl was pretty even in pink pajamas that looked like Minako would have worn eight years ago.

Rei frowned. "Men are stupid." Her answer came out dark and easily slid off her tongue. Even without an answer, Keiko figured it out already.

"But you seemed to be excited about the boy that was with Yusuke…" Keiko tried to lead her on to talk about Kurama. It was always funny how girls always found ways to talk about someone or something in strange ways.

The main point of this sleepover was over this issue, Rei figured before taking a sip of her black citrus tea. This reminded her of something Usagi would do and while it kind of pissed her off, she was also pleased that her princess wasn't the only crazy nut whom would do something so annoying to get her way. "Excited?" Rei finally asked.

"Well, er, more excitable than usual." Keiko remembered that was the only reason why Rei agreed to do as she had asked her.

Rei nodded and sipped more on her tea. "Minamino-san is the nephew of the only man whom I had ever believed I loved." She decided to answer, then added, "the baka is a precious friend even if he is an idiot."

Keiko and Yukina's eyes widened excitedly as if they had the greatest news in the entire world. They probably thought that they understood something more about her, not knowing that they knew nothing.

Rei sat there still thinking about earlier at the convenience store, seeing him. She couldn't talk about what happened with them, knowing that they'd probably react just like the other sailor senshi and overreact.

She remembered that a moment like that wasn't that new, in fact, he had calmed her in a similar way before. At one time, he was the only person in the world that could comfort her. His warm hands on her shoulders, she could still feel it.

She could remember at time when he held her in his arms to keep her from crying. It was that time that he began to call her "Fiery Rose."

**_Author's Note:_**

**_Thanks for the reviews so far in this story! I am very appreciative of it! I do try to respond to all my reviews in a timely manner. If I don't respond directly to you, I will probably respond in the following chapter! What do you guys think of the story so far? Go ahead and check out my other stories while you wait for the next update._**


	5. Strange Day

It had probably been the strangest day in Rei's entire life, the day that she became one of the guys, the day where no one treated her as if she were some kind of princess visiting a foreign country. It was a day that she had created on her own without anyone forcing her. The day had started off strange from the very beginning and for whatever reason, it inspired her to not care about the day being normal.

Normal was boring, she had decided. She didn't actually believe that, but the things that she had been planning needed false reasoning in order for her to get through the day.

This was the day she became one of the delinquents.

**Sarayashiki High School**

**6am – 9:15am**

Rei had walked into a school that was in an uproar with teachers running around like chickens with their head cut off, and the student counsel whom acted no better. She had asked Keiko what the big deal was but barely got anything out of her besides the governor was coming. Rei's father would be coming to Sarayashiki High with the press and the school needed to be tip top shape.

The whole idea pissed her off as she silently sat in her chair on the other side of the classroom from Urameshi Yusuke. The teacher had chosen her seat specifically to keep the delinquent and former Catholic schoolgirl princess from ever talking. The priestess didn't bother mentioning that she and his girlfriend hung out after school almost every day.

She scribbled curse words on a notepad, words she'd never say, and acted as if she were taking notes. The lesson was something that she had already learned in middle school and although she chose to take the easiest, most mediocre classes on purposes, she regretted it with every fiber in her being. The classes were so boring! Still, she needed to keep to the plan if she were to get back at her father even if she was still an A student even without trying.

Typical of a warrior, she watched everyone with a critical eye, watching for spit balls and all the general delinquent, immature things that teenage boys did. Yusuke seemed never to do any of those things… he chose to go beyond the normal bad, skipping school, smoking, and every once in awhile, he got a little drunk.

As stupid as it was, Rei was envious of him. His freedom and the way that he lived was only a wish for her; sometimes it felt like she trapped her own self in a prison, a tiny bird-like cage with titanium chains wrapped around her soul, tight enough that she couldn't breathe but loose enough to where anybody could have broken through. Usagi broke through and sometimes she felt like Keiko could break through too.

She wondered if she could make a spit ball to get his attention but quickly dismissed the thought.

Rei decided to wait until lunch as they both shared the early lunch with Kuwabara.

It felt like a hundred years had already passed when lunch had finally come. It would be thirty minutes, but she decided not to bother looking for him but to just go to the top of the roof, knowing no one else would be there and the staff wouldn't bother telling her that eating there was against the rules.

The wind nearly pushed the door back into Rei when she finally opened the door to the rooftop. She could hear the gust blowing powerfully from one side to another and for a moment, she wondered if the wind reflected Haruka's ever-flowing emotions. Did it show her anger and confusion from the recent events? Or had she become like many of the others, having forgotten Usagi?

The door closed roughly behind her as she stood there with her arms wide as if she were reenacting a scene from the Titanic, her hair blown wildly around as she crooked her neck to notice someone else there, watching her.

It was another girl, very pretty.

"Hi… You must be Rei-chan." The girl said with a pretty smile, her green eyes seeming genuinely happy to see her.

It was strange because there seemed to be something very nostalgic about seeing her and those eyes. "Yes I am… and who are you?"

"My name is Youko Sakura." She replied without hesitation then bowed respectfully, her long brownish red hair flowing majestically with the wind, and her posture prim and proper. The way that she stood almost reminded Rei of herself.

"Youko, that is your surname, right?"

"Yo, who are you talking to?" A male's voice called out suddenly nearly scaring Rei out of her skin even if she did well with keeping a calm façade.

Rei turned. "Oh Urameshi-san… I was just talking to this…" She pointed in the direction of the girl but noticed that she had already left. Strange, she was sure that a girl was standing there.

Yusuke didn't even bother to question her any further on the subject; he just walked out onto the roof, lighting up his lighter and closing the door with his foot, making sure that it slammed as hard as he could possibly make it. Lighting up a cigarette, she smirked at her, "Don't tell me that you're like Kuwabara…."

It was a statement that he made often when it came to her. He never expounded on it, just constantly said it. Almost as if on cue, Kuwabara came thrashing through with all kinds of breads and foods that he bought.

"Oh hi Rei!" Kuwabara nearly yelled as he spoke to her, his informality overthrowing even Usagi's. The raven-haired priestess pretended to not notice this and not to react.

The red-head threw her a pork bun and Yusuke some other kind of bun that he'd gotten while Rei questioned whether he had gotten them himself or beat someone for it. She wouldn't have been surprised with either option.

They all sat quietly eating, well, almost everyone, Kuwabara kept talking about class and how he was ahead of everyone there and how he was thinking about switching to a better high school. The kid wasn't nearly as dumb as he looked or talked.

Rei finally decided to speak. "I want to ditch today. You guys are coming with me."

Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?" He never did like authority figures even ones whom said to do things that he was already planning.

Kuwabara's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-What?!"

Rei repeated herself in monotone.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Yusuke yelled now suddenly more annoyed than the first time since she didn't even get fazed by his tone the first time.

"Listen… I don't want to be here. My father is coming today and I don't want to see him." She replied then took a bit of her pork bun.

"Daddy's little girl didn't get the car that she's been begging for?" The slicked backed-haired teen sung in annoyance as she barely winced at his comment.

The girl picked up her backpack off the ground and started her way towards him then dropped the bag on his foot with all three textbooks in tow. Yusuke nearly started to choke her when the heavy book bag fell on his foot, the only thing stopping him was him thinking of Keiko's reaction and

"Don't ever call me 'Daddy's Little Girl!" The proper girl whispered in a tone that said that she could kill him. Her eyes were so angry and hurt with so much distaste with the idea of that being said.

Yusuke recognized those eyes; he had the same eyes when he was younger whenever anyone would talk about his family. Those were the same eyes that he had when he was a child, the eyes that were bitter and angry, refusing to be put down by anyone.

"I've already had an odd morning to say the least, and I don't want to ruin the day any further by seeing my father."

Yusuke didn't nod his head nor do anything to say that he was in agreement with what she said however his next movements said all she needed to hear. He took her pork bun and ate it then stood up, taking his backpack and placing it over his shoulder as he walked back into the school.

Kuwabara wordlessly followed suit then grabbed onto Rei's hand gently. "Let's go. There's no reason to stay here now, is it?" The ugly male said gently before letting go and running off after Yusuke.

Rei sighed, loosened up her shoulders, relieved by her companions. For a moment, she stood there, shocked then remembering the early part of her day decided to just go with it.

**Earlier That Day**

**Higurashi Home**

**3am – 4:30 am**

A surge of youma energy filled the Higurashi home causing Rei to stir and unable to fall back asleep. It had been like this every night for the past two weeks, this energy would come surging through at the same time, causing the violet eyed priestess to stay up for about an hour before the energy would leave. At first, she was pretty good at ignoring the problem and fall back to sleep but now, it caused her some major paranoia.

Rei turned on her light to her room, deciding that she'd check her homework and make any needed corrections. Standing by the window, she read the essay to herself, hoping that the boredom would send her back to sleep as her mind went back to the first time that she had felt that strange energy, the day that she had seen Kagome coming out of the Bone Eater's Well.

She remembered that day because her cousin was with four other people, a male with long hair, a monk, and a girl and boy apparently into cosplay. Later, she found out that the cosplayers were named Sango and Shippou but always seemed a bit uneasy with the two. The priestess had seen one of the males at least once or twice since she had started living here and every time, he was always leaving.

He didn't give off the strange energy either that she had felt that day but she was still uneasy whenever she saw him.

She turned to put her essay away and suddenly, her window opened and the energy bearer was in her room with long white hair and golden eyes that pierced through her soul.

"Kagome, why didn't…"

Rei didn't know what came over her, but the next thing she knew… she had found a brand new strength that she never knew she had before. With crazy agility, she threw the youma to the wall and grabbed her ofudas and threw them onto each of his ankles and wrist while chanting her spell to create a barrier to keep him still as she kicked him in the stomach.

The tenma broke through the barrier spell and ran out after her. "Kagome… what are you doing?"

Rei turned around, this time paying attention that he called her Kagome; people haven't mistaken her for her cousin in years and now she was worried for her. "What do you want from Kagome?" She screamed as she ran forward again to attack but this time, he was quick to dodge as he grabbed onto her and held her back from attacking him again.

"Hey, listen… I don't want to hurt you!" He yelled but found himself being thrown over her shoulder and again, an ofuda was thrown on him, this time over his mouth and all over his arms, paralyzing him in position as she began a combination of kicks that he and she, both, didn't know were possible.

Summoning up all his strength after twenty minutes of pure torture, Inuyasha threw himself up and used his feet to lock hold onto her legs and made her crumble to her knees. Jumping up, he threw himself a few feet behind himself to get a better look and scent of the woman before him. One thing was for sure, this was definitely not Kagome or Sango.

The girl stood back up.

This girl looked like a young Kikyo even more so than even Kagome yet her aura was more powerful than both of them, priestly and also from celestial origins, possibly an angel. Could she be another reincarnation from that same bloodline? One thing was for sure… he couldn't hurt one of Kagome's family members without there being some kind of problem.

"KAGOME!" He yelled as he saw her coming at him again and he could feel his reflexes kicking in to protect himself.

He yelled her name again as he evaded another attack, this time, using his arm to throw her against the wall and throw her into a submission move. Not wanting to put any major damage to himself or her, he kept this up until she found a way to lock her legs around his waist and gain enough momentum to throw him in front of her with her somehow turning herself in time to be facing him face first, her hands holding his wrist, her legs wrapped around his waist again.

It was perfect timing for Kagome to finally come out her room along with every other household member, including Chibiusa.

"SIT BOY!" It was the last thing Inuyasha heard before falling through the second floor upon hearing the command.

Somehow the other girl had landed on her feet.

He was unconscious.

"Rei-chan!" Ms. Higurashi came running down the stairs with a robe in her hand, throwing it over Rei's lingerie clad body. "Put this on, please… Souta and Shippou are up too." The older woman turned to her son and house guest whom were watching from the stairs, "You two… please go back to bed."

Kagome came down the stairs, watching her cousin in disbelief. After all the careful planning to keep her cousin from ever meeting Inuyasha, this is what happened! At first sight, she had believed that Rei and him doing something much different than the story the house told although she still had a cloud of doubt upon seeing her unfazed cousin looking back at her.

Inuyasha finally woke from his daze with Kagome bowing her head, asking for forgiveness. It wasn't until she had seen his face that she truly understood the situation. The other girl sat in a chair with her arms folded over her chest, watching them. "BAKA! How come you didn't wake up when I kept calling your name?"

Rei stood up. "You are a priestess, Kagome-san! Why would you be okay with being around someone like him?" The violet eyed priestess screamed, her eyes pissed and angry, having heard part of the story from her aunt.

Kagome winced. She didn't expect her to say something like that in front of her husband. "I'm sorry… Rei! Not everyone has the perfect life that you have!" She screamed back. Standing up, she walked over to her cousin but keeping enough distance that the living room table was between them. "Why did you keep attacking him even though it was clear that he wasn't going to hurt you? He kept calling my name, didn't he?"

Rei looked the other way. She couldn't believe that her cousin acting that way. "HE IS A DEMON AND I'M A PRIESTESS! It doesn't quite mix very well… you should know that!"

Inuyasha chose to stay out of the argument, understanding why Kagome had chosen for him not to stay there with her cousin as his face began to heal itself of the scars that would have probably been permanent if he were just a human.

"Do you think you're better than him?" Kagome seethed with anger, "Because you're not!"

The usually classy priestess nearly threw the table upon hearing her say those words. The violet eyed beauty tensed. "I…"

"Unlike you, he would never leave me alone or betray me like you did when you left!" The burning anger of the brown-eyed priestess flew out like a flock of fearful birds. Her fist clenched together tightly as she suddenly came to realization of what she said.

Rei finished her words. "When he said your name, I was afraid that he was here to kill you… I wanted to protect you."

Kagome couldn't stop herself, "I don't need your protection. I didn't need it back then, and I don't need it now."

Chibiusa came flying down the stairs, having listened to the entire argument. "Rei-chan… please don't be angry with either of them." The pink-haired girl said with her red eyes pleading with her friend to understand. "Inuyasha is a good guy… I've met him before, he and Kagome are both after the same person that we are after. They know about Naraku."

Kagome's eyes widened upon hearing the little girl's words and her cousin's expression.

Rei didn't visibly appear affected by her words or the argument, but she couldn't hide the tears that brimmed her eyes. A smile crept upon her face, a lonely smile that Kagome had seen so many times before when she was a child, the smile that she had forgotten that her cousin had.

"Thank you Chibiusa." Rei didn't acknowledge the 'Naraku' or anything else about the situation. Without much words, she had said to go back to bed until this is settled.

Rei stood there tensely for about five minutes, thinking about how to proceed with the current situation. Besides being pissed, she didn't know how she felt or what she should feel or how to go on with this new pieces of information. She didn't understand how she betrayed her cousin nor why her cousin would be looking for the man that was in charge of Usagi's disappearance.

"Your name, please."

"Inuyasha."

Rei smiled for some reason then walked away. "You are not from this time, are you?"

Neither Inuyasha or his wife responded as she went up the stairs, took a shower and prepared to leave for school.

**Souta's Middle School**

**11:15a – 12:00p**

"Wow, that's so crazy!" Souta responded to his pink-haired friends story excitedly and with his mind completely boggled. "So, my sister and my cousin are both after the same person?"

Chibiusa giggled while nodding. "Yeah… you forgot to mention Shippou and I too."

"You two look weak." Souta joked while taking one of her fries from her plate without her permission.

Chibiusa mockingly frowned as she reached over for his plate but failed due to his quick reflexes. The boy did this every day at lunch although his mother always packed him an amazing lunch while she dealt with buying her crappy lunch. Days like this, she missed Ikuko-mama's cooking.

Smirking, the dark-haired boy reached for another handful of fries as she tried to block him but failed miserably. Obviously, she still needed training as a sailor senshi to be "had" twice.

Souta took out his homework and got started on it early so that his sister had no excuse to keep him from talking to Inuyasha while Chibiusa tried to slyly watch him inconspicuously. In a strange way, he reminded her of Mamo-chan, her father in the current century prior to him being the king. She imagined that Mamoru acted just like him, and probably looked identical.

Hitomi walked over to where they were sitting, a pretty girl whom although was an ex of Souta was also a friend of his. Her pretty wavy brown hair reminded Chibiusa of Michiru's and her prettiness of Minako's, well made-up and hair splendid. She looked like a little anime girl come to life with proportions that fit more of an exotic model than a young middle schooler.

She smiled gingerly, "Oh hi Chibiusa!" She exclaimed happily, a tone that Chibiusa wished that she din't use because honestly, the cotton candy colored haired girl didn't care too much for her. She didn't have a reason to not like her, but her feelings of distaste were definitely there even if she didn't know why.

Souta's face turned red immediately upon her sitting next to him. With the eyes of a femme fatale, a dirty vixen (or, well, at least, in Chibiusa's opinion), she smiled at him. "Hey, where's Shippou? Doesn't he usually eat with us?"

Chibiusa sighed outwardly, her exasperation evident. "He's in detention for not doing his homework…"

Hitomi pouted, her face looking like she had practiced the pose for Sports Illustrated a thousand times. "You're top of your class, right, Chibiusa?"

Chibiusa nodded in agreement though she hated agreeing with anything that she said. "Yeah so…"

"We should have a study group together. Souta and I aren't nearly as smart as you, but I'm sure we could help him… He seems very behind on everything-even culture."

Chibiusa nodded this time is true agreement. Knowing how much Shippou was struggling, it bothered her; she didn't like not helping her friends/

Without so much as a goodbye, she got up and walked away then handed a paper to Chibiusa to which she wrote: 'Thanks! I knew you could tell that I liked Shi-chan! He's so cute! Hopefully, this study group can help me get to know him better!'

Chibiusa almost read it aloud but stopped herself, knowing how much it would hurt Souta.

**Downtown**

**In a Bar**

**11:35 am – 1:00pm**

Kuwabara was surprisingly the most responsible of the three, the only one watching everyone's back and the only one whom didn't drink.

He was surprised by the entire situation especially since Rei was the one whom initiated the whole thing today-something he'd expect Yusuke to pull to prove that Rei was no angel. Still, it was fairly obvious that she had never lived a day of her life like this; she was a sheep in wolf's clothing, trying to understand the other side of being imperfect.

Yusuke had gotten her to agree to trying sake and after one shot, the poor girl was wasted. Yusuke had about twelve shots before he came visibly wasted, but the both of them were the same when they became that way. They became talkers, angry talkers at that, slurred speech and all. The two of them went on a competition on whose life was more screwed up and somehow both of them seemed to be able to hold back information that they felt were even too sensitive for drunk talk.

Kuwabara listened intently to each of them but was surprised by the pretty girl's revelation to them. She talked about how she felt like her father allowed her mother to die, how he became abusive to her as a child, blaming her for her mother's death. He called her a demon without a reason to live whenever he got drunk thinking about his wife and then would beat her until her face was barely recognizable.

Every sobering morning, she would wake up, and he would be sorry and begging for forgiveness. He often thanked God that her body healed so rampantly and the media would never see the scars that should have still been there. When she was five or six, she couldn't exactly remember, he tried to finish her off by throwing her off the balcony, believing that he was on the top floor of their five-story home, but the good thing was that he was too drunk to realize that he was still on the first floor.

Rei smiled then laughed. "You know what he said to me at that time?" She asked with that same smile, the saddest smile that Kuwabara had ever seen on a person.

"No, what'd he say?" Kuwabara asked as Yusuke fell asleep on the bar counter.

"He said that I thought I was so much better than everyone else. He said that I was lucky to have my life and to be perfect then he said that I felt like he wasn't good enough for me." She looked up into the ceiling, her mind going back to that day and remembering what Kagome had said to her earlier that day. Turning to Kuwabara, she tried to laugh to keep from crying, "He said that the only person good enough for me is my mother so go join her in hell, you little demon then he dropped me."

Kuwabara nodded, not knowing how to respond. Did he need to comfort her, say something consoling?

She went on to talk about how her father once again regretted what he did to her but this time, he took action and called his father to take care of her since he felt unworthy of her but that he'd promise to come see her, buy her many gifts, send her to the best school, and make sure that she never felt lonely.

"The only good thing that came out of knowing my father was getting to know Kaidou-sempai's nephew, a pretty boy, a real bishounen-even now. That idiot."

Kuwabara sat there, thinking, and just couldn't stop thinking. Both teens around him had both fallen asleep as he ended up paying the tab, er, at least, taking Yusuke's money and using it.

When he was younger, he always figured people like Rei were lucky and could never understand why when he'd see her on tv, why she'd always look like she would rather be somewhere else. Pretty, smart, rich, and seemingly normal and yet she was no different from them, in reality.

Having been with her and Yusuke for four hours, you'd have thought that this was where she had always belonged. A girl whom no longer had to hide behind a face, a smile that was more lonely than anything he'd ever imagined and one day, he hoped that she could escape herself, escape the perfection that she had built around herself.

For now, even if she didn't know it, she was one of the guys. Even if she didn't realize it yet, there was always a place for her to go.

Touching her shoulder to awake her, he suddenly had a vision of her dreams.

What he saw scared him like there was no tomorrow. He had felt Rei's consciousness-something he had never felt before, was it a psychic connection? Why did she see the city burning and who was the blonde girl in the vision?

"Kuwabara and Yusuke-leave!" A soft masculine voice interrupted the tall, ugly teen's thought process as he backed away from the priestess. Turning around, he could see Kurama standing in the doorway in considerably formal clothing.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Kuwabara shouted in shock as Kurama walked past him and threw water over Yusuke's head.

"You should really leave before your name gets involved with the governor's daughter skipping school on the day that he visits." Kurama warned before noticing a visibly possibly drunk Rei. "Don't tell me you were all drinking!"

"I-I wasn't… man, you're really tough on us today." Kuwabara exclaimed .

Yusuke woke up much later than he should have after having water poured on his head. "Yo! What was that for?!"

"I need to take Rei back to school." Kurama stated plainly. "My uncle, Kaidou, asked me to find Hino-san."

Rei woke up immediately upon hearing that statement, soberness conjured up immediately. "I don't want to go back… Shui-rama!"

"Don't call me that, not in front of them and not in this situation…" he whispered calmly into her ear.

The violet eyed girl stood up then stared darkly into his eyes. "How are you always able to find me… it's been that way since we were little." The conjured soberness still allowed her drunkenness speak.

Kurama looked around then back at her and smiled, "Hino-san, I've always promised you that I would always find you no matter what."

Rei folded her arms. "I'm still not going; I don't understand why Kaidou sent you here when you clearly have school the same time that I do." Her defenses went up, being clearly sober enough to think straight. "And I told you to never call me Hino-san. You're the only male I allow to call me by name and you refuse to do it. Do you try to piss me off?"

"Rei-chan, stop! My uncle got permission from my school to allow me to come with him on his business venture. He needs you to come because right now, his job is on the line. As an assistant, he has to make your dad look good or your father will hire the new assistant as being higher than him. So… let's gp," he paused then asked, "please?"

Hearing Kaidou's job was in trouble, she gave up on trying to be a delinquent.

Looking back at Kuwabara and Yusuke, she said, "Thanks. Today was a strange day. It'll probably never happen again, but thanks."

Then she threw up all over Kurama's shirt.

The day had started off strange from the very beginning and for whatever reason, it inspired her to not care about the day being normal.

Normal was boring, she had decided. She didn't actually believe that, but the things that she had been planning needed false reasoning in order for her to get through the day.

This was the day she became one of the delinquents.

**Author's Note:**

**Yay! Rei's a delinquent, sort of! What did you think, please read and review? This chapter was something that never happened in the original story, but I always wanted to show the relationship Rei had with all the YYH cast.**

**I hope you like the character and plot development in this chapter… what did you think of it? I did change categories to Sailor Moon X-Overs rather than in the crossover section because I'm hoping that I'll get more reviews. I don't want to say I'm a review whore, but reviews do keep me writing.**

**What was your favorite part of this chapter or did you not really care for it? Is there anything that you think that I can fix to make it more interesting?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon and it's characters. They all belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Toei inc. I also do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters… and the same for Inuyasha. They all belong to their respective owners.**

**I do own the plot and also the character, Sakura.**


	6. Hiei's New Plan

**Minamino Residence**

**8am – 8:30am**

When Kurama thought about it, nothing really changed. He was the same as he had always been even before coming into his human body. He still viewed everyone and the world through green eyes that never trusted anyone-including himself. In all honesty, he thought that he had outgrown many of the traits that he hated but now, because of her, he could see clearly that he was wrong.

Rei Hino had a tendency to bring out the worst in him while, at the same time, she brought out the best in him. Even now, he questioned her uncanny ability. Was it because he had known her for so long that she could do this? Or was there something more sinister and powerful about her that he didn't know about?

Her pitiful violet eyes looked at him, sorry that she was the reason that he had to miss his uncle's conference with her father at the school. Being drunk, she threw up on his shirt then cussed him out after the event for making her go then started crying about things that made no sense.

Three days later now, she showed up, sobered and apologetic. She seemed to think that was the reason he was upset. It was part of it and the other part, Kurama still hadn't admitted to himself.

"Minamino-kun, I'm really sorry." She repeated herself, standing at the threshold of his room, her hands clamped onto the bottom of her shirt. He assumed that it was because she was nervous.

He wanted to say that it was alright and calmly end the argument as he would with anyone else but instead something else came out. "Why were you with Yusuke and why did you involve him in your mess?" He asked calmly, his tone dark and cold. It almost sounded like one wrong answer and all hell would break loose.

Rei frowned. "Be-Because… I trust Yusuke." She admitted much more freely than she had anticipated.

Without warning, he got up from his bed and pulled Rei into the room by her wrist and closed the door, not wanting anyone to hear the argument. "You don't even know him… how can you trust him?"

Rei looked away. Her violet eyes averting his, her heart beating faster than it should, her mind racing with fear. She hated men because of this very reason, they all made her afraid. For one moment, she hated Shuichi for closing that door as her mind went to the last time that a man had closed a door on her for saying something that she should have said.

Backing away, she answered, removing her wrist from his hand. "Because he's not like you or my father, I trust him. It's the reason that I choose Kuwabara and Yusuke to be around because they are not like the both of you."

Kurama's chest tightened. What did she mean by that? What was so wrong with him and her father? Why would she compare him to her father? He took a breath and tried to choose his words more carefully. "Hino-san, what do you mean by that?"

Rei backed away again but this time, she hit her back onto his drawer of book, nearly knocking it over. "When he speaks, there are no secrets. There's no underline motive… He and Kuwabara, they are free spirits while you and I are enchained by our own personalities."

Kurama picked up the book that fell off the drawer and placed it behind him, noticing her hesitation to pick it up as she were sure that he'd do something to her if she did. It saddened him to see her like that. The young man had thought that she had changed the last time that he had seen her, but in reality, she reverted back to the girl that she was when they first met.

"Hino-san, why don't you trust me?" He asked. Knowing that she wouldn't answer, he reopened the door and let her out.

Placing her hand on his, her hand trembled as she also grasped the door, she tried to smile. "Sorry… Minamino-kun." Walking out, she bowed to his mother and hurriedly walked out.

He didn't know why but his hand had also begun to tremble after she let go. This wasn't the first time that this happened, and it probably wouldn't be the last. He felt like he was choking and his heart felt deep and heavy and for once, he didn't have a solution.

He remembered this feeling, a feeling that one other woman had given him, the feeling of having your heart ache. The Mars Princess had done it and like Rei, he was sure it was on accident.

**Over 1000 Years Ago**

**Reikai**

A family of kitsune youkai gathered together in a very rare event, a family get together. Many were dressed in fine line, clothing found in the human world and there were others that proudly came in the form of a fox, proudly showing their beautiful manes. In a general sense, there was beauty everywhere, from the decorations to the clothing on everyone's backs.

The kitsune were fairly known for their beauty so when the young Kurama showed up, it didn't really surprise him much. At his young age, the only thing that shocked him was how rich most of his family was especially in comparison to his own.

This was long before he had become one of the greatest thieves known in the Reikai so when his family showed up, it was clear how poor they really were.

His mother, a strong woman whom raised all her pups on her own, had always made them feel like they had much more even if the truth was they had nothing. The one thing that she had always kept was a protected den from the rest of the world and enough food to feed her children for the day. Even as a teen, he didn't know the struggle she had gone through until it was too late.

When she died, all responsibilities were laid upon him.

His younger sister held onto her brother, her long white hair covering over her eyes, a bad habit she had started when she was young and never stopped. It often meant she was nervous and didn't know what to do next.

"Kurama-chan, must we always come here?" She asked, looking up. Her green eyes brimmed with tears, afraid of being judged.

The family watched them in disdain. They were different and no one was afraid to show it.

"Mother would want us here. Even if they hate us, we should be strong and soon when we exceed their expectations, we can join in the fun." Kurama responded his deep voice calm and soothing to his younger sister.

His younger brother stood beside him, the young girl's twin, a boy with overwhelming confidence and a personality that belonged on a human politician rather than a lowly kitsune. "Yami-chan… Don't worry… One day, we can be the ones laughing at them if my plan goes well."

Ogata, the green eyed kitsune, looked at her twin brother, her mood lightening upon him speaking. "Takeru-kun…"

The boy smiled handsomely.

One of the elders of the gathering came walking over to the family of three, his eyes dark and somehow charming, his smile threatening. "Well, hello there… Isn't it my favorite family of three?" Sarcasm flowed through his mouth as their family was considered small and having a small family was considered a cursed thing among the kitsune.

Kurama pretended not to notice and smiled his "nothing" smile. "Can't be that hard as we are the only family of three here, right?" He added a chuckle to finalize his charm.

Takeru grinned. "Well… hello there to you too!" He responded with ecstasy then continued, "If it isn't my favorite uncle whom couldn't protect his own son in battle?" He never was very good at backing down from an argument begging to be started.

Yami grabbed onto her twin's hand, an action that meant "stop."

The elder didn't hide his displeasure as he spat on the Takeru's face and grabbing onto Yami's face roughly. "At least your sister knows boundaries." He snarled before looking up at the oldest of the family who had grabbed onto his arm as a warning. Knowing the age difference, the older man figured that this one was at the age where he was given to acting out in rage so backed off of her. "I just came to let you know that tonight we will feast on a priestess and because of that, there will be a sacrifice."

"Why do we need to know that? We're not the sort that is often needed to be on a need to know basis about these things." Kurama stated simply. Right now, there was no need to be polite.

"This priestess is a Lunarian by citizenship… her people are ones of war-much more powerful as a nation than our entire family."

"What does that have to do with me and my family?"

"If we pray for their forgiveness and show them that we meant no harm, they are less likely to come and attack us. We will pretend that this was as a protection for us…"

"Who will be sacrificed?"

"The people will have a ballot for who of us will be sacrificed… More than likely, your family will be in danger. I am thinking your youngest sibling, the sister." He smiled.

Before Kurama could answer back, Yami stepped forward. "Will my sacrifice save our people? I mean, will my family become something that isn't dirty in everyone's eyes?" She pleadingly asked as if she were honestly thinking about it.

Takeru's eyes widened but surprisingly, he didn't say a word. He tensed up and walked forward, his mind obviously made up about something. The younger male walked past his older brother, brushing his shoulder and past all the other family members, his nose guiding him to the only non-youko at the party.

A beautiful woman was all that he saw, fair skinned and eyes that were lonely like his own.

"You are not the miko of the Mars Kingdom, are you?" He spoke in his best Japanese, figuring that even the aliens took on some nationality or language group when coming to Earth. She definitely smelled of cherry blossoms and looked to be of Oriental descent.

The woman's eyes opened upon hearing him speak, her brown eyes drained but seemingly powerful even under the stress that she had been placed in. "No but I'm her sister…" She coughed as he took some water and allowed her to sip, "My name is Lady Kagome. I am also from the Mars Kingdom, the sister of the chosen one from my mother's line.

"Hn… for a race of warriors, you sure were easily entrapped, weren't you?"

She grinned but didn't answer. "How did you know that I wasn't my sister?"

"My brother didn't kill anybody upon smelling your scent."

**Present Day**

**Governor's Office**

**5:00pm – 5:45pm**

Rei still wasn't sure why she bought such a large crowd with her, but earlier, it seemed like such a great idea.

It had started off with her asking Keiko and Inuyasha to come with her but the girl had things to do and sent her boyfriend who invited his best friend to keep from getting bored and when she invited the half-hanyou, his wife sent Sango to watch over them. Kagome apparently didn't trust her to be with him.

"I smell Naraku's scent close by… it's faint but I smell it." Inuyasha said to Sango where Rei could hear the two conversing.

Strange, she could also feel it, but the aura felt close yet so far away at the same time. Was that even possible?

Sango nodded but didn't say much.

"Why do I always end up with you at some point of the day?" Yusuke yelled as they got closer to the door of the building.

Smiling snidely, she remarked, "Awww… and all this time, I thought you were the lucky one." Moving closer to him than she should, she feint flirty eyes and a smile that could catch any man's eyes.

For the first time in a long time, Yusuke didn't know how to react and his face turned red slightly embarrassed and blushing. Actually, it was probably the first time that he had noticed how pretty she was with her face being so close; it was no wonder why every guy went crazy after seeing her. Still, it was strange for her to act like this.

A pretty lady walked out, a woman that had been with Governor Hino the day that he arrived at her school.

Rei turned slightly away from him to see the woman but strangely, she didn't move away from him, in fact, her face was probably even closer. It was then that he understood what she was doing. She was putting on an act and he, unfortunately, was made to be her co-star in this cheap drama.

Rei stared slightly, measuring her up, trying to see what her father saw. This woman was much closer to her mother's appearance than all of his other whores that he brought home. Her slight body, long wavy black hair, even her smile looked like her mother, it was a strange thing to realize that her father was still looking for a woman like her own mother.

Walking towards them, she grabbed the hand of Sango and smiled graciously. "Ah Rei-chan! It's so nice to finally meet you! Your father has been expecting your arrival." Before the other girl could respond, the woman pulled her through the automatic sliding doors with the group in stride behind them.

"Gomen! Gomen!" Sango kept shouting before coming to a final halt with a younger girl standing in the way of the woman and the mistaken girl. "I'm not-"

"Mama, let her go!" The girl that had been standing in the way spoke, her green eyes calm yet annoyed.

Rei could remember that face and her voice-even if it was vaguely. She had met her three days ago and for some reason, she couldn't forget that girl's green eyes. What was her name though? Her mind went blank and for some reason, she wished that the girl had forgotten who she was and her name so that she couldn't feel bad.

The darker haired woman turned her head the other way, spiting the younger and showing an obvious immature side. "Hino-sama would like to see his daughter; I need to hurry."

"Mama, that is not his daughter." The girl responded in monotone as she pointed to Rei behind her. "That, mama, is Rei-san. She goes to the school that I transferred to as you arranged."

There goes the hope of her not remembering!

The girl walked past her mother and bowed to the crowd, her posture as perfect as she could remember. It was strange to Rei because the girl didn't look much like her mother nor did she act much like her.

"Gomen… my mother tends to get a bit excited with her job especially when it comes to favors for the governor." She apologized while looking the other way. "If you allow me, I can show you to your father's office. As my mother has mentioned, he has been awaiting your arrival."

The girl's mom let go of Sango as Rei wordlessly agreed to her request and began to follow her through the corridors, taking the long way to his office rather than the shortcut she often used.

They were quiet as they walked, the only sound being the clicking the brown-haired girl's high heels. After about thirty seconds, the girl finally decided to speak. "Rei-san, why do you choose to be around those boys?"

Rei didn't feel like biting her tongue. "That's a bit rude to be asking someone you barely know."

The girl smiled lightly. "That's true. Kaidou-san speaks of you often and how close you and his nephew used to be however I never see you and Minamino-san together, why is that? Do you prefer the crowd of misfits over a proper gentleman?"

Rei frowned. "Did he force you to ask these questions? That baka, did he put you up to this?"

The girl's smile grew wider. "No, not at all… I've always had a bit of a crush on him and I never could understand what he could see in someone like you or them. I mean, you're pretty but your personality is foul and in all honesty, you're just a bit strange." The girl stopped in front of an elevator then began to explain that her father had changed offices in the building, having taken one that was higher up.

Rei didn't say much else and in one moment, she had realized that she didn't care much for this girl. "What was your name again, young lady?"

"Youko Sakura."

Rei nodded, jotting that name down in her memory as for people to avoid. Waiting for the elevator to come, her mind went back to Shuichi and immediately became aggravated. "Sakura-san, stay away from my Shuichi-kun!"

The girl's eyes widened, slightly shocked. "Your Shuichi? Do you own him? Has he ever been your boyfriend?"

Rei didn't bother answering but the idea of that girl hanging around him pissed her off more than it should have.

Then again, when she thought about it, when she was younger, the violet eyed priestess had felt this way before. She never did like girls who also liked him in any kind of way.

The elevator came and she got on with the other girl who pressed the highest level. She wasn't kidding when she said that her father decided to change his office.

**Six Years Ago**

**Walking Up A Mountainside**

"Shuichi-kun, come on! Don't be such a slowpoke!" Kagome called out, her brown eyes excited, her lips parted into a smile.

"One moment," he called back, his green eyes wary, his movement slowed to the speed of the violet eyed girl behind him. "Hino-san, your cousin is kind of rushing us… can you walk a little faster?"

Rei looked up at him then back at torn sandal then nodded. "Minamino-san, if you want to catch up to her, go ahead! … It won't bother me at all." She replied with her arms crossed, her eyes dark and angry. She was trying her best to act as if she wouldn't care or that it wouldn't matter if he left her.

It was a well-known fact that the two of them did everything together. While it was true that Kagome was a part of the trio, she was clearly the third wheel. No one ever spoke of that unspeakable truth, but even outsiders knew.

The short-haired red-headed boy sat down on a rock with his hand outstretched to her with a smile, his green eyes were as kind as they had always been. Those eyes were the only eyes that she had ever trusted up to this point even if she knew those eyes hid more secrets than any government. "Hino-san," he said as he grabbed onto her hand and pulled her up, "that's not going to happen."

Blushing slightly, Rei stood next to him, trying her best to hide her contentment with his words. "It's not like I care or anything…"

He stayed down for a moment as he grabbed onto the foot with the broken sandal gently. "Why didn't you say that you messed up your sandal? I mean, why did you bring sandals if you knew we were going up this trail?"

Rei didn't want to admit that she had come because she didn't want him and Kagome alone or that she didn't want anything weird to happen between them. "It didn't seem like such a big deal when I agreed." She lied.

He stood back after letting go of her foot then told her to hang onto his back and he'd walk them the rest of the way.

Kagome sighed once she caught sight of her cousin and their friend. "Wow, you really think you are a princess, eh?" The brown eyed girl giggled.

Rei jumped off his back, hearing the snide remark, knowing it wasn't a joke. It was no secret that her younger cousin had a crush on Shuichi even if she hadn't told him yet. Before they met him, people would consider it a miracle if the two of them even acknowledged each other. The red-headed male was the glue that kept those two together and made them become close.

Even back then, Rei knew that their "glue" wasn't strong enough to keep them close at the end of the day. It would later, in their life, be the reason why they would stop talking.

"Look Shuichi!" Kagome exclaimed as she pointed over the horizon. The sight was truly something to behold. There were no words for them all to describe it. The wind blew softly and cherry blossoms flowed with the wind, the scent carried through the air, the sun was setting and it looked like a portrait.

If anyone of them doubted a higher being, at the time, they weren't for one moment in time.

"Kagome-chan… thank you! This really was worth the travel."

Rei winced. She hated that he called her cousin by her first name so easily yet refused to say her name. That idiot.

"I knew you'd like it!" Kagome smiled.

"I bet you did."

**Present Day**

**Makai**

**5:00pm – 5:45 pm**

Screams could be heard throughout the corridors and alarm went off after alarm, guard after guard was sent out and no one was making it back**. **Koenma could feel the energy surging and becoming stronger with every minute and getting closer with every second.

The energy bearer wasn't killing his people but knocking them out, that was clear. His book of records wasn't becoming any larger however, that didn't make him feel any safer. He had to think of something besides hiding under the desk because this was shameful even for him.

Standing up, he composed himself then ran to the door to close and seal it until they left but the sound of heels and the feeling of energy beat him to it.

This was going to suck if they didn't come for tea!

Koenma froze up upon seeing the sailor senshi of time and destruction walk into his corridors. He had assumed some monster had been in charge of the attacks outside his office and had begun to make his escape but now it was too late.

George the ogre stood in front of the two females, arm outstretched, prepared to defend his boss.

"You are of no concern to either of us." The shorter girl had spoken, her bright purple eyes cold and serious.

"I don't know who you are but your business is not welcomed here! My boss must be contacted through reservation first!" He hollered.

"I come in the name of Chronos, my father, and my kingdom! Do not make me wait!" Setsuna said calmly and threateningly.

"Ah… Pluto-san!" Koenma suddenly piped up behind the ogre throwing his hand out to shake her. "What brings you here!?"

"Don't speak so casually… why would you send your people on an assassination against a priestess of the future Crystal Tokyo, a kingdom ruled by the White Moon." Pluto spoke again, her tone more deathly threatening than the last time yet just as calm.

"Pluto-sama, I should say. The Mars Princess has been said to be dangerous by our greatest prophets of the Reikai. He says that in order for a dark future to not come upon us, we must eliminate her. I'm sorry but my father and my law are final down here."

Pluto didn't believe a single word that came out his mouth. Her crimson eyes narrowed. "Then I will stop you and your underlings. If they must die then so be it!"

Koenma's eyes widened. He had expected to have some huge argument but without even as much as another word, their actions showed how resolute they were. In a flash of light, they were gone and so were his abilities to speak. For the first time in a long time, he was so scared that he couldn't move and his mouth wouldn't let out a sound.

George looked down at his boss. "A-Are you o-okay?"

"Of course I'm fine, you idiot! Why are you still standing there and how come you didn't show her whose boss when she was talking to me like that!" He screamed as his mind suddenly went to Botan and the rest of the crew. Would they actually be alright with those two on the prowl now?

**One Thousand Years Ago**

**Reikai**

**Midday**

"I know it's wrong, but I love you." She whispered into his ear as he held her tight, not wanting to let her go.

They both knew better, but it felt right when they were together. It didn't matter that their love was forbidden or that her kingdom would have to take away all her rights if they knew about their relationship; all that mattered was that they were together.

She was a priestess of the Moon Kingdom, the princess of a people of priest on a red planet called Mars and although he was a kitsune, she loved him with every piece of her soul.

Yoko Kurama held her tighter, not willing to let her see his tears.

He hadn't felt this way since the day both his siblings were killed, and now she was telling him that her princess and her kingdom would be destroyed. Even with all the feelings that she had for him, she knew she had to fight because that vision had been so bleak. If she were to die, she wanted to do it while protecting her family and friends.

He knew the feeling. When his siblings died, he had wished that he had died with them. He wanted to have been there to protect them.

These people were her family and he could never tell her not do what he would also do.

"My young Yoko," she whispered as she kissed his forehead, "I'm so sorry… I promise that I'll be back. I promise that I'll never have to say sorry ever again."

**Present Time**

**Minamino Household**

**Midnight**

Botan had called a few times throughout the day but Kurama kept sending the girl to voicemail. He was surprised that she didn't do the straightforward thing and just come over and talk to him. Apart of him kind of wished that she did then the other part of him was glad that she didn't.

After his conversation with Rei, he felt agitated and bothered and for some reason, he felt angry with Yusuke. There were no possible reasons to be mad at him but hearing that Rei trusted him more than him, it just pissed him off. Usually he was always in control of his emotions and yet right now, he had less control than a baby has over who changed him.

He walked outside having felt Hiei's aura since early in the day. Deciding that it was the best time to speak with him, he waited beside a tree, knowing his best friend would be there.

Hiei jumped down.

"It's been awhile Hiei… the last few times I've seen you, you barely said a word."

Hiei nodded his head. "It has been awhile… Kurama."

Back to the tree, Kurama felt much more at peace. Nature and Hiei were a good calming effect for him. A sneaky smile crossed his lips, "What do you think of the new mission?" He asked. In a way, it showed how accustomed he had become to human culture, the question hinted to gossip.

Hiei smirked. "That's actually why I came here…"

"Did you find her?" Kurama asked intently.

"No." He answered without explaining himself.

"Then what?"

Hiei frowned. "You and I will never work together again after today nor will we share in meaningless conversations."

Kurama tensed up. Why did his tone sound more like a threat than a person letting a friend know about their new circumstances? Why did it sound like they were about to become enemies?

"Mukoro died." Hiei continued then unsheathed his sword. "In order for me to resurrect her, I must be on a side different from yours."

Kurama stared at his best friend intently. For one moment, it felt like everything would be taken away from him, his entire soul felt dead. Why was he saying this? Wasn't there something that he could do without becoming enemies?

"If that's the case then don't get in my way." Kurama smiled sadly.

Hiei laughed slightly. For one moment, his words felt like a lie and although Kurama knew better, the two would become enemies if that is what the other wanted.

"My boss, his name is Naraku. Unfortunately for you, he says that I need your blood and the blood of the woman that you loved before you came into this world for a jewel that you created over one thousand years ago." Hiei smirked as he watched the red-head touching the tree with his hand, his aura flowing into it, "Lucky for you and me, I will start that mission tomorrow."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

_**Hey everybody! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all the reviews! Please read and review and let me know what you thought of this update! I do think that this chapter is the first one with major Kurei hints. I'm still trying to keep their relationship/friendship subtle because of some events that happened in the past before Rei left Shuichi and Kagome.**_

_**I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit strange however each character in this chapter will later be expounded upon later. Right now, Sakura may seem unlikable but later, her character will be very interesting. Kurama's brother and sister will later have their background expounded.**_

_**On a side note, Naraku will make the first move against the main cast on the next chapter! Though it's been a long time coming, it'll be worth the wait for the next chapter.**_

**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own Inuyasha, Sailor Moon or Yu Yu Hakusho or their characters.**_

**Claimership**_**: I do own Sakura and her mom.**_


	7. Kuwabara's Promise, Rei's Sin: Part One

**Higurashi Residence**

**5:00pm - 5:15pm**

Kagome sighed as she walked into her cousin's room, her brown eyes soft and worried. It had been three days and Rei hadn't come out. She hadn't eaten, went to school, or even talked. Three days ago, she came home with tears stained cheeks, eyes low, and a heart gone.

The brown-haired female didn't think nothing of it at the time, just her usual forlorn expression that she'd grown accustomed to but this time, it was different. It felt the same as when Auntie Hino died, maybe even worse.

The room was dark, not even a slither of light slipped through. "Rei, my mom thinks you should come down and eat. Get nourished, she says," She laughed slightly though for no reason, maybe to ease the tension.

There was no response.

"Mom says that if you stay in the dark, you'll stay depressed so let's open up a window." Kagome stated as she walked over to the window but felt her cousin's hand grab her's softly.

"Please don't."

Kagome frowned slightly. "Rei, I don't know what happened, but you can't stay in here forever. Chibiusa and everyone's worried for you." She bit her lip in frustration.

"I don't ever want to be happy again... I don't even want to live right now. Can you understand that?" Rei said finally as she stood up in her bed, an action that Kagome more sensed than knew since it was so dark.

"You're so damn selfish! Wishing something like, Rei! You're still the same princess you've always been! You never think about anybody else, do you? How do you think my mom or Chibiusa would feel?" She screamed as she grabbed her cousin and opened up the blinds, grabbing her by the collar of the shirt she had been wearing for three days.

She looked down and saw blood all over the shirt. How did she miss the blood three days ago? "Wh-What happened?"

Rei's eyes were puffy and pink around the edges. She had been crying for three days. "It was my fault... It was my fault! Everybody who comes close to me dies... just like with her, it was my fault!"

**Two Weeks Earlier (the rest of the chapter)**

**Unknown Place **

**Unknown Time**

"The plan is being set in motion." Kagura said, bowing down to her master, Naraku. The time had finally come for them to make their move as their foundation had been weak since the battle with that moon girl and her sacrifice.

Even so, she weakened Naraku and all of his peoples in that battle enough to where they had spent nearly a year in hiding. She looked over to the two people who sat to the right side of where she stood, am aloof short boy with nice muscles and a young girl who appeared to be the same age as him. She, however, sat in the darkness where she could never see her face, never speaking unless spoken to, an useless puppet for Naraku's dirty hands.

"You, two, will be... out on the field today," Kagura announced but was interrupted by Naraku's deep voice, his coldness even causing her to shiver.

"No, Kagura... You will go out today. You have healed well enough-for back-up, Hiei, you will stand guard on the attack today." He smiled as he walked forward and closer to the girl shrouded in darkness, holding a black jewel, the jewel that had once been destroyed by Kagome, the shikon jewel. "I have special plans for you, young one."

Kagura tuned to leave, expecting Hiei to do the same but he stood still and his eyes narrowed. "Naraku, if I do as you say, will you really do as you say?" He asked, his tone darkened by the latest events that happened under Naraku's belt. He didn't trust him anymore than he trusted his will in a battle against Kurama, a battle that was inevitable in these circumstances however before he turn his back on his partner, he needed solid proof.

"Your third eye, it should tell you if I'm lying... and what does it say?" Naraku asked with a slight laugh. "Have I not given you more power as you asked? Have I not made you more powerful than before your third eye was given you?"

Hiei didn't answer but not answering was enough. It was true that everything Naraku had said, he'd done and all he asked was one simple thing and that was to find Kurama and the princess that he once loved

Sango had been in this time period for some time, and nothing had changed. They still hadn't found Naraku although they searched night and day, this had been their purpose from the beginning. The only thing that had changed was that she no longer was prideful enough to keep Kagome out of the loop with her relationship with Miroku, and to her surprise, Kagome had some advice for her.

She suggested that the slayer and monk go to the fair that was coming in for one night only; it was apparently perfect for couples. The priestess also said that Naraku may be attracted to come out because of the large crowd and his assumption that the city would be too busy to notice his movements.

Believing that he was weak in this world, she wanted to corner him when he least expected. The youma slayer agreed. It seemed the most logical plan though she wondered when her best friend had become such a reasonable woman-something that must've happened years after being married to the most illogical man in the world.

Being in this strange generation, Sango couldn't understand how Kagome could be so strong to allow herself to stay in an era different from her place had a false sense of security with humans acting as if everything was okay though in reality, Sango knew better. There were thieves, murderers, rapist, all kinds of horrible people-these people felt nothing but treachery.

If her children were lost in this world, she wondered if they were afraid, and if they took after thier parents and were able to take care of themselves though no child should have to do that.

These sorts of things stayed on her mind as she made her way to the home where her husband and Inuyasha had been staying, a ragged home in a distant part of town. Actually, it looked like they made it themselves, a little shaft similar to the kind in the feudal era with a straw roof and cloth for a door.

In this world, they were homeless though they both said that they found jobs. Not surprisingly, Miroku found all the illegal jobs, and did it without question and Inuyasha, for whatever reason, Rei found a job for him, a job that he somehow made more money than even Kagome's mom and most of Kagome's teenage friends.

Sango asked about the job, but Inuyasha's face turned red and Rei winked, saying it was a secret. Whatever it was, he sure had been embarrassed... though she also questioned Rei's purity if the job could make even InuYasha blush. _**(In truth, Rei had gotten him two jobs. One where he was paid to compliment women on their clothing (usually lingerie) to make them want to buy more (basically, he was a sales man but he didn't know what it was called)**__**and the other job involved things that neither of them felt were proper to say around his wife though it's rumored that they call him "Mac Sexy Doggy" at his full-time, night job**_**)** Were all religious leaders like Miroku?

Rei didn't appear lecherous like him, but the quiet type never did quite seem like their real personalities, did they?

"Hey pretty lady," A man with a long beard called out with a bottle of sake in his hand, the expensive kind, Sango noted. He was one of the beggars that weren't actually poor, she came across them quite often in this era.

"H-Hello." Sango replied awkwardly before noticing the fabric move forward and her husband come out happily, his eyes had never been so excited to see her.

"Sango-baby!" Miroku called out as he practically did flips all the way over her then grabbed her butt with both his hands, his head in her crotch. "Bwaby... mwy wiife!"

"Take your head from there and I could understand you, monk." She said coldly.

Miroku lifted his head, but kept his hands on her butt, grabbing them harder. "I miss you! Inuyasha won't be home for another hour and a half... let's go relieve ourselves for about five minutes." He sounded like he was begging.

Sango knew what he was talking about and part of her wanted to do it, but the other part of her was disgusted and nervous about the idea. It may've been her mind and soul being only sixteen years old now that made her feel this way, but they hadn't done it in so long, it just seemed so unnatural. It also felt wrong to relieve herself when she still hadn't found her children.

"Relief sounds nice, but now we're underage for sake so that's impossible." She pretended to misunderstand.

Miroku's face reddened exasperated then tried to explain himself, but before he could finish his explanation (which was full of nonsense, rainbows and unicorns), she pulled out a ticket and handed it to her husband. "We're going to relax here in about two weeks and continue our search here. There's an extra ticket there; give it to Inuyasha." She went on to say as she pulled his hands away from her butt, not wanting to be touched by her own husband.

In fact, with the way their relationship was, she couldn't imagine that his touch would truly satisfy her. Still, she walked off, hoping that Kagome's plan would work.

**Sarayashi High School**

Apparently Keiko didn't have a meeting today as she had been having during lunch the past week so Yusuke joined her and Yukina as Rei expected. She, however, had become accustomed to having lunch on the rooftop where she could watch the entire school besides it probably caused Keiko less trouble.

Rei was probably the most hated girl in the school; she was everybody's target, everyone wanted a piece of the governor's daughter in more than one way. With the two delinquents around, people usually didn't test her in front of them, feeling as if touching her would somehow bring about the wrath of the strongest delinquents in the school.

It was a nice thought, but she doubted either one of them thought of her as anything less than a pest.

Turning around, she heard the sound of the door opening, a creaking sound that seemed to only travel towards the outside because inside, you heard nothing when you opened the door. The priestess didn't bother checking the aura, she assumed it was either that annoying Sakura girl or a member of the student council to warn her of the dangers of eating on the edge of the school's rooftop.

"Rei-chan! Yo!" A deep voice said, happy and recognizable.

"Oh... hi Kuwabara-san, I thought you'd be eating with Yukina-chan?" She said, honestly surprised and yet somehow pleased to see him. He really was like Usagi.

He threw her a pork bun and some taiyaki then walked over to where she was sitting. "It was Yusuke's turn to buy bread, and he assumed you'd be eating with them... he wasn't sure what you liked better so he bought both."

Rei stared at the products in amazement that Yusuke had actually thought about her. "Tell the baka, Urameshi-san, that I said 'thank you.'" She mumbled, trying not to smile, showing her pleasure in their kindness. It was strange to be around those two as they really had little in common besides a crappy childhood; they were both two males, and although she claimed to hate all men, she couldn't find herself hating them.

In fact, she felt the same way around them that she felt whenever the senshi gather together, pleased and happy to be with them, safe and for one moment, she wouldn't feel lonely. Since they had started eating together on the rooftop, it became an unspoken tradition between the three of them to switch off days of who'd buy bread for the lunch, and since Rei started walking early in the morning to make sure that Yusuke actually made it school... it hadn't just been the two right there now doing it anymore.

Kuwabara stayed quiet more so than usual. He looked at Rei wondering how he could bring up the subject to her without it being awkward between them, the subject that he'd been meaning to ask since the day that they skipped school. The vision that came from her to him, it never left his head-even now. Technically, he wasn't sure that it came from her, but he never had visions; he only felt things that normal people didn't feel so unless his powers were advancing, he doubted that it came from himself.

"Kuwabara-san, if you have something to say, say it." The violet-eyed girl said after pinching a piece of the pork bun and putting into her mouth, "It doesn't suit you being silent. It stresses me out."

Kuwabara smiled. Rei and Yusuke were a lot alike even if they didn't know it. Neither one of them liked waiting for something to come out when it could come out right then, he realized. "Rei-chan, are you normal?" He asked then realizing how rude the question sounded, started blubbering about how not being normal wasn't a bad thing sometimes and kept going on and on.

"I'm a female with ovaries, yes.. quite normal." Rei responded sarcastically, regretting that she told him to talk as she listened to blubber on and on.

"I mean, are you like me?" He rephrased his question.

Rei frowned. "No, if you're asking me if I like females and whether I'm normal in that way, that question is inappropriate, but no, I don't like females anymore than I like males." She answered as quickly as she answered the first question, taking another bite of her taiyaki, her annoyance level peaking. Although she played dumb well, she knew where he was getting at and hoped that he'd give up on the subject.

Kuwabara scowled. No, she was worse than Yusuke, she barely listened and had the patience of a woman in labor. "I mean, are you psychic?" If he'd thought outside the box, he would have known she was much more like a combination of Kurama and his best friend.

She was hoping that he wouldn't be so straightforward but nonetheless, she wasn't surprised by it. The girl had known him long enough to know that he didn't shut up about much of anything. Rei paused and laid the bread on her lap, her eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to know?' She asked. Did the whole school know that about her though she tried to keep her past and who she was a secret?

"No... I felt it. I mean, I felt your aura many times, and there are times when you seem to be looking at things that only I should be seeing. That day that we..."

Rei stood up and handed him back his bread. "Kuwabara-san, keep that to yourself. I haven't told anyone about that in this school nor do I want people looking at me differently. I especially don't need Urameshi-san to have another reason to mock me." She went to walk away, but found her wrist grabbed onto by the much larger man, his beady eyes softened by her words.

"Rei-chan, I don't know what you've been through, but this is the first time that I've met a person like me... and for the first time, I felt somewhat normal because of you."

Rei tried to pull her wrist away, but failed as he held her wrist tightly, not wanting to let go.

"I saw your vision, the burden that you've been carrying with you all this time." His eyes were serious and kind-just like the princess.

Rei's eyes widened, her pupils enlarged as she threw him away from her.

"Rei-chan... this burden, you can't carry by yourself. Don't you see... we're your friends. We can help." He was kind, princely-even in his determination, and Kuwabara spoke with so much passion, it almost sickened the priestess.

Embittered, Rei scowled, her fist shaking as he spoke, trying to be kind. He was too much like her, way too much like Usagi, trying to take in her burden as if he could take away all this pain and stop the vision from happening. "No, you're wrong." She said, her bangs covering over her eyes, "we're not friends. I've never viewed any of you that way so stop thinking that you could help me."

She lied through her teeth. This wasn't their problem; it was her's and her's alone. If they got involved, they would end up just like Usagi, and that was something that she couldn't handle.

**Nine Months Ago**

**Hikawa Temple**

"Rei-chan! Rei-chan!" Usagi screamed excitedly as she ran through the temple, her strange pigtails following behind as she laughed, giggling while holding onto one of Rei's newest manga. "How come you didn't tell me that you had the newest issue?"

Rei frowned as she watched Minako stop Usagi and ask her if the priestess finally bought a hentai magazine then pouted when she realized that it wasn't. "Rei-chan is no fun!" Minako screamed at the top of her lungs, the two blondes seemed to be competing on who could scream the loudest and annoy Rei the fastest.

They were both winning.

"I wonder if Kenichi and Miu will ever be together!"

"I wonder if they'll ever have a hentai special with Miu having a foursome! That would be awesome, right, Usagi?" Minako had said in response to the princess's innocent remarks.

"A foursome?" The moon princess asked, finger to her lip, "What is that? You mean a two on two match?"

Minako grinned sheepishly then nodded. "Close enough. Maybe, in Crystal Tokyo, you'll allow Mamoru-san have one."

Rei listened to the two blondes talk with mixed emotions, all negative. "Minako-chan, stop being perverted." The Catholic school girl said, her tone proper and underneath all that properness, venom.

"Ah but Rei-chan, you're still a virgin in mind, spirit, and body so you wouldn't understand."

Rei sighed. "No, I wouldn't however you're a virgin also so I doubt you can truly understand it, yourself." The priestess said matter-of-factly while sitting on the stairs watching as Ami and Makoto had started walking towards the group.

"Wow, Ami... I don't know if I can keep up even with all the extra tutoring sessions." The brown-haired cook said, rubbing the back of her head as the genius began to explain more of the impossible to the botanist though it clearly wasn't getting any clearer.

Ami smiled slyly. While the blue-haired genius always seemed up for making people more astute like her, Rei knew that she also loved the feeling of knowing that she had one up on someone. Even so, it was kind of cute and sweet for her to always be able to be there for everyone in the group who needed her.

"Ami-chan!" Usagi cried out as she ran over to her but was stopped by Rei grabbing onto her shin, knocking the flat on the ground, face-down. "Ehhh?"

Rei smiled lightly. "Oh... did I do that?" She mocked the American show that Usagi had recently become addicted to in the past few months. "Family Matters" was the name, Rei believed.

"Rei-chan, you're so mean!" Usagi squealed before getting back up and running to Ami again.

"No, you're mean... you've been yelling for about twenty minutes nonstop, not thinking about my or my Grandpa's ears!" Rei scorned as she stopped the princess once again, laughing at her own mocking of the blonde's addiction, not realizing how hard that she made her best friend fall. "Wait here, I didn't realize that you were bleeding."

Ami took out her backpack then smiled in Rei's direction. "I always keep my first aid kit on me especially with having Usagi-chan around." The genius took it out and though she had planned on doing it herself, she knew Rei would prefer to do it since she caused it.

Blowing on the cut on her upper left-hand corner of her forehead, Rei took the first aid kit and cleared off the dirt from the cut then took off the bigger pieces that had cut her, one by one using an utensil then cleaning the utensils with alcohol. Usagi, though, upon realizing that she gotten hurt (though she was fine before anything was said) began to cry like a child who thinks something is bigger of situation than it actually is.

Looking into the first aid, Rei could hear Usagi whining while she had to make the choice of alcohol or peroxide, the choice of whether she'd clean her and put her in pain or do the same thing with less pain. The sound of her tears drove her insane and since she hadn't been crying before she said anything, the beautiful female wanted to give her a reason to cry.

Ami watched the entire scene from a distance, making sure that Rei was doing everything right. Of course, Ami had taught her how to deal with these kind of situations though the girl already had experience. The genius saw the smirk on the girl's face and before she could say another word, Usagi yelped at the burning on her forehead.

"Waaah! It burns!"

Makoto crossed her arms distastefully while Minako laughed hysterically, the genius shaking her head though she, too, secretly found it funny.

"Dummy, that hurts!"

"If you weren't whining, it wouldn't hurt!"

"Whining or not, it still hurts!"

"I'm done anyways. Go off to Ami-chan, now... and prepare for the study group." Rei muttered as she walked away then noticed Makoto following her though she hoped it wasn't to reprimand her over their clumsy princess. The tomboy was the most protective of her in these situations.

"What wrong with you, Rei-chan?" Makoto asked when they were far into the temple where no one could hear them.

Rei frowned. "I'm fine Mako-chan. Why do you ask?" She had almost forgotten how easy it was for her to read her.

"I don't know what's been going on, but you've seemed dazed, tired, even more irritable than usual. Your actions out there prove it." Makoto said then smilingly continued, "You should relax. The battles are over. We can be normal people until Crystal Tokyo is established... I have a feeling that this peace that we're under is driving you crazy. You're like me, when we all battle together and that teamwork spirit comes alive, you feel most safe even in the worst situations. It puts you at ease when we're all aiming for the same goal, doesn't it?"

Rei put her head down, not agreeing or disagreeing with her statement. Most of what she had said was true but even so, there was always this dread that there was a silent darkness lurking in their past that was waiting to come out. She didn't realize it was in her own past. The priestess couldn't tell her what was bothering her nor why she was so tired especially if she wasn't even sure that her plan to protect Usagi would work in the near future.

If she had known that her plan would've caused the opposite to happen, there was no doubt that Rei would've stopped her plan then and there.

**Present Day**

**Meiou High School**

The male student boy seemed in an uproar over the daughter of the family of "Meiou" would be coming to visit. It felt like Japan was having a revolution of important people visiting high schools as if everybody, at one time, decided that this year would be nice to visit school campuses.

"I'm so excited to meet Meiou-san!" A girl walking past Kurama said as she giggled then turned to look at him, giggling again for a different reason.

"Oh my gosh! Did you get a good look at our sempai?" The other girl said with a sneaky little smile, her little smile still innocent, a fresh faced first year student. "He's cute, isn't he? I always take the long way to class because he always takes this route to the cafeteria for lunch." The girl explained loudly enough for the other girl to try to cover her mouth, embarrassed.

Kurama, in his human form, was quite used to the attention, and as such, he was also used to pretending not to hear anything.

The girls kept walking, giggling, doing as young girls do, a sight that brought a smile even to his face.

"Ah, you're the honor student?" A soft voice said from Kurama, a person that he had never seen before and had surprised him due to his not being able to sense her come up from behind.

He turned to see her, a pretty woman, not much older than he. Her skin was dark much like people from Thailand and her eyes crimson yet she was tall, only one inch shorter than him, and he was almost six feet tall.

"Minamino Shuichi-kun, that's your name, correct?" The pretty woman said, flipping her long dark green locks behind her. "I am Meiou Setsuna, the daughter of the man whom this school was named after. I've heard so much about you from the faculty. I must say, it's very nice to meet you."

Kurama smiled lightly and bowed upon her introduction, keeping his eyes on her. How was she able to sneak up on him without his being able to detect it? As an experienced fighter, that was a "no-no" to ever allow anyone to sneak past her defenses. He knew that he hadn't been laxed, if anything, he was everything but that since the day that Hiei had claimed that they would be enemies. "Yes, you would be correct in your assumption. I have no twin so it's pretty easy to spot me." He said charmingly, his smile unwavering. "So are you visiting in behalf of your family?" He asked, trying to understand why someone like her would be taking time out of their busy schedule just to come visit some school.

"You don't trust people very easily, now, do you?" The woman responded to his question with another question.

He smiled lightly. "I guess not. It just seems like you'd have a reason... I mean, I've heard a lot about you. A nurse, university student. scientist and a fashion designer, it just seems like you would have a full schedule." He answered.

Looking at her wristwatch, she chuckled at his comment. "I didn't know I was so popular... are you in class right now or are you on lunch?"

Kurama's eyes narrowed. She was an expert at avoiding questions without ever coming off rude. "I'm on my lunch so I have time to hang out... I usually do my homework during this free-time."

"You really are an honor student," she giggled as she walked besides him as if she were just as much a student as he. "Actually, I want to become the new nurse here, and maybe, while I'm here, I'll design a new school outfit."

Placing one hand on the shoulder of his school jacket, her crimson eyes seemed cold and distant, very different from her voice, she stared intently at the fabric. "It doesn't quite suit you or any of the students I've seen.. the colors are faded and the tailor was, how do I say it, half-assed in his job."

Kurama didn't know why but he froze when her touch came; this was the second time that he had been able to do something without him being able to react. It wasn't normal even if she had no killing intent, nothing against him, he should've been able to sense her movement. Just as he couldn't keep up with her conversation, he couldn't keep up with her movements. "Half-assed as it is, it does the job." He countered.

She smirked. "You're interesting, young man..." Looking at her wristwatch, she counted slowly under ber breath then said, "Minamino-kun, let's talk again." Then she handed him a piece of her jacket, fabric that had been ripped off as the bell rung.

Although she said or did nothing wrong, why did it feel like her interaction with him was a threat?

**Over 1000 Years Ago**

**Makai**

"Takeru-san, are you sure about this?" Princess Mars asked as she stood in the self-made mirror of the young yoko, a solemn expression on her face.

The younger fox tenma smiled, his charms as strong as it had ever been. "Kurama won't help him because he's selfish... but you, my princess, your heart is pure and this man... he only wishes for enough power to protect his people."

Mars looked back at him as the twin of the boy covered the mirror with a cloth, keeping it in a secure place. "Takeru-san, what exactly did your brother say about this human?" Placing her hands on her hips, she questioned the young man, his eyes averted to the wall of the tent.

The boy seemed so young compared to his brother though he had much more social skills, his attention however diverted to the rabbit that had found its way into the tent, his hunter skills going into full gear as he moved silently over to it, grabbing onto it but stopped by the priestess who threw an ofuda on his hand, burning him slightly. "What was that for?" He practically screamed.

"We're talking; don't get distracted." She responded distastefully then decided to repeat her question, "What did the idiot Yoko say about the man?"

Takeru smirked. "Do you two still pretend to not care for one another because of your kingdom's rules?" He asked instead, tilting his head as his sister tried to make hand signals from behind the princess, telling him to not make her mad.

"Ogata or is it Yami today?" Mars as she turned around then frowned, "At least, the little sister has the most common sense in the family... though I'm not sure why you use so many names." Her violet were much softer than the cold frown she was trying to portray, this part of her was the very thing that Yami liked about her most.

"My brother has started to pick up your traits, you know that?" Yami said giggling with a smile that could light up the heavens, the little shy smile that never got old. Flicking her white hair, she smirked a very sneaky little smile, contrasting her earlier smile. "He seems to be good at hiding his intentions from people, even us. He's becoming secretive like you... Some say that it's natural for our kind, but he used to be quiet but never good at keeping secrets."

Mars smiled, an expression that she couldn't hide, the stupid fox who acted like he hated her was starting to take on her traits. How wasn't she able to notice this until his little sister mentioned it. "Again, you both seem to try to avoid the answer... what did your brother say about this man?" She didn't like to admit it, but she trusted his opinion above even her own; he always seemed to have insight beyond her own. They argued all the time, and although she never admitted, he was always right, leaving her in her own shame.

"He didn't actually meet him..." Yami said quickly.

"Yeah so you should trust our opinions of him... We met him when we came to the surface."

"You mean you went to the Ningenkai?" Rei's eyes narrowed deathly, her violet eyes shining angrly at the twins. They really were a handful. They were young compared to her, but so were most people, including their oldest brother, and it was clear when she heard some of their adventures. "I've told you many times that the priestess up there will hunt you down and kill you!" She hissed.

"It's fine, I promise... whenever they come to the lands where I live, I always ensure that they're safe. Besides, they hide themselves very well in their human forms, don't you think that they'd be strong enough to fight anyone against them on their own?" A man suddenly walked into the tent with long wavy black hair, oriental as far as Mars could tell.

"Who the hell are you?" The Mars princess stood in front of the teens as she reached for an arrow behind her.

The man smiled lightly. "Princess Mars, have you forgotten me already?"

She didn't say a word but pulled the arrow back further. "Sorry, I don't. You may be human, but your aura is deathly... and unkind."

His smiled only broadened. "Put it down, Princess Mars.." The man took out a pink jewel out of his pocket shaped like a rose, the color changing to red almost immediately in her presence. "Don't you remember? When you came to Earth looking for your sister, I was the one who told you details of her whereabouts."

She didn't let go of the arrow though she did put it to the side of her though her aura filled the very village, warning them to stay behind them.

"Princess, this is him! This is Onigumo! He's the one that I want you to help!" Takeru cried out, his excitement still there despite the tension in the room/

"Young man, you've changed." She said coldly.

"Yes, well, it has been ten years since that day... I've fallen sick and my body has weakened, my appearance is older than my contemporaries, and I'm sure someone like you would understand how that can change situations." He put his hand out as to touch her however she grabbed his hand with her free hand, warning him not to touch her. "The jewel is worth a lot, I'm sure however it was carved by a demon for you, wasn't it? No one would take this as that's the case."

She said nothing but kept her distance.

"Takeru-dono, talk to her! She'll listen to you." His eyes looked desperate, tired and pained, squeezing his palms in a way that looked like he wished to choke someone. "I'm sure he told you, but I need to heal myself, become like you, immortal so that I can protect those important to me as you protect your princess."

"Onigumo-san," Mars finally said as she grabbed onto the jewel and placed soome of her aura inside of it. "This jewel has the aura of the senshi of Mars, and also the power of that baka that they call their brother. With my aura there, the jewel will act as it was meant to act... his aura will protect you from danger while my aura will slowly heal your body with the healing flames of my kingdom."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" The man exclaimed, his cold eyes shining.

Mars, upon seeing his eyes, didn't let go of the jewel and added more of her aura. "However, stay away from these children. If you ever come close to these children or if you try to hurt them in any kind of way, that same that heals you will make you suffer in a way that'll make you wish that you were in she'ol already. Gehena would be a better place for you if you ever try to do anything to them."

"Princess Mars, why would you add such a stipulation? They're my friends, do you think they're too dumb to not know who their friends are."

"NO! She does not..." A heavy aura suddenly overcame even the Mars Princess, the kitsune's deep voice shaking the man before them down into the core, "now leave."

"Kurama-" Mars whispered, looking away.

He stared coldly into her eyes. "I'll take him back to the Ningenkai then I'll be back." He said then in an darker tone, he continued, "We need to talk."

**Present Day**

**Yusuke's High School**

"Wow, you're so cute! So petite and pretty!"

Rei's face turned red, hearing the compliment. It almost seemed strange that such a pretty girl would compliment her without some kind of disgruntled reason for acting like that. "Arigatou," Her shyness that she so well hid came out.

"Sorry, I never introduced myself, my name is Botan." The pretty girl said, smiling a smile that almost resembled Usagi's own smile. They almost had the same kind of aura, friendly and strangely airy. "Keiko, Kuwabara, and Yusuke always talk about you, and I've been thinking of introducing myself but haven't had the chance." The words fell from her lips like silk, so beautiful and kind.

Rei didn't know why, but it was easy to listen to her talk. "My name is Hino Rei. It's nice to meet you." She bowed.

Botan's eyes widened as she began to laugh loudly at her introduction. "Keiko and Yukina were right about how proper you are! How do you get along with those two buffoons, huh?" Grabbing her wrist, she tested Kuwabara's theory about her aura and her spiritual insight however as soon as the power flowed to her, the girl pulled back.

"I knew you were too kind." She finally said her eyes narrowed. "I'd never thought Kazuma-chan would be so smart as to have you to check me!"

_**Damn, she's sharp but it wasn't Kuwabara. **_Botan frowned slightly. "Sorry, I didn't realize that you didn't care for people touching you..." Botan tried to lie but her ability to do so was about as incredibly bad as Makoto on her worst day.

Eyes still narrowed, Rei stared at her then laughed slightly. "You must be Shui-rama's girlfriend!"

'_**Shuichi and Kurama... equals Shui-rama? Does this girl know more about him than his own mother?'**_

"How would you know that?" The blue-haired girl said as she started following the priestess on her way out, her tone incredulous. Keiko was pretty good at keeping secrets and Kurama was a secret, himself so she doubted either of them told her. Did Yusuke and Kuwabara figure it out because of her lack of acting abilities and lack of ability to lie.

Rei crossed her arms, looking at her before noticing Sakura on the other side of the hallway, walking into her classroom, stalking her as she always did. She assumed that it was part of her job description in going to this school.

"Is it supposed to be some kind of secret?" Rei asked, not sure how to answer it.

Botan frowned. "Yes.. it is."

Rei sighed. "When I said Kuwabara-san, your eyes said something else... Yusuke doesn't make plans, and when I thought about it, he's the only other condition that connects us." Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes in thought. "Kazuma-chan asked you what he should do the you asked your boyfriend, he answered though he's in school which means you must be pretty close so you followed along with the plan."

Botan grimaced. "That doesn't mean that I'm his girlfriend. We could be best friends for all you know." She tried to argue back, her tone no longer like Usagi's but like Minako and herself, a girl not meant to do something but doing it anyways.

"I know Shui-rama. He wouldn't do that if he weren't that close to you though I'm sure he'd do it for me." Rei coldly spoke, her violet eyes piercing her soul, her words almost seemed like a threat to their relationship if you asked Botan.

"That's not how it is! Besides-"

"Be honest with yourself."

"You be honest, yourself... Everyone always says that you call them by their last names and use the honorific -san when addressing them as if you haven't drawn closer to them... and when you spoke of Shuichi, you sounded like a jealous love struck girl." Botan cried out, angered for some reason. She didn't understand it, but she couldn't bring herself to like this girl. It may have been all the talk from Keiko about how the girl obviously was interested in Kurama, it may've been that she wasn't sure how to read but that couldn't be it. Hiei was hard to read, but she never disliked him.

Rei turned to the girl, her arms stiffly to her side. "What are you talking about?"

"I was close when Kuwabara was talking to you... You said that he wasn't a friend and to stay away yet when you speak of him, you sound fond of him! Why is that? Why are you lying to him and yourself? Unless you're in love with my boyfriend and the other two, I don't understand." Botan expounded.

"Kuwabara Kazuma and Urameshi Yusuke are fools!" Rei screamed distastefully before noticing the two of them behind her. Keeping her eyes low, pretending that she didn't notice that they were there, she whispered, "I'm the governor's daughter... do you think that we could ever truly be friends?"

Then, turning around, she looked to see Yusuke give her a cold look then Kuwabara have the saddest look in his eyes then keep walking as she pretended to not notice them

**Nine Months Ago**

**Walking About Tokyo**

"This must be how Haruka and Michiru feel when they go out!" Usagi screamed as Rei grimaced at the idea.

Rei laughed though at her comment. "I doubt that. This is not a date." She said as she placed her finger on the texture of the wedding dress, a finely tailored dress, but definitely not in Usagi's price range nor was it time for her to looking for a dress.

It was funny how since Galaxia was defeated, all Usagi thought about her wedding which wouldn't be for another few years when Mamoru would come back from America.

"And we don't have the money to pay for someone to make our appearances look dramatic and poetic like they do." Usagi giggled.

Rei smiled then softly giggled herself. "Yeah, that guy must get tired of carrying a fan, the bag of cherry blossoms, and those theatre lights to ensure that their every moment looks beautiful... I mean, they took a chance of letting someone letting people know their identify, just to look beautiful and mysterious at all times."

"Oh my god, right?!" Usagi exclaimed, alarming the entire store, her laugh echoing, not realizing that the high ceilings also caused her voice to be echoed.

"God, you're embarrassing. Even with that amount of money, you couldn't come off as classy and beautiful as they do." Rei muttered before Usagi started screaming non-sense about how she was plenty classy.

Sighing, Rei sat down, her eyes downcast, feeling exhausted.

"Actually, Rei-chan... there was a reason why I invited you out today." Usagi's tone suddenly sobered, her opalescent blue eyes serious. "Ami-chan and Mako-chan have been worried about you."

Rei looked up, shock. "Hmm... what do you mean?" In reality, she knew the reason, but wanted to see if the other senshi why they were worried and to hear her princess's side of the issue.

"Well, you've been even more distant, it's almost like you're going back to when we first met you and," she lifted Rei's warm in her hand, "you're so thin. Are you eating? Do you have an eating disorder and you're ashamed? What's going on?"

Rei's eyes lit up at the accusation. It sounded better than the real reason, the reason that she couldn't talk to her fellow senshi. "I'm not starving myself, but I could do better with taking care of myself." She said truthfully. The best lies used truth and avoided speaking the underlying issues, Rei learned even as a young child when her father would ask her questions about herself.

Usagi looked down. "You're a liar, Rei-chan." She breathily said.

Rei smirked. "I really am not doing what you think."

"Are you having visions again?" The moon princess said without hesitation, her stance strong and unmoving. "Or do you regret having met me, and maybe you want a normal life? I know that recently Yuichiro left and though you don't talk about it, you had to be sad. It must've been lonely and I should've talked to you, but I was afraid of upsetting you though I think I..."

"Usagi, it has nothing to do with either situation..." Rei lied again, her eyes averted away from her best friend. When did she become so perceptive? Had she really changed under her nose without her noticing?

Tears streamed down Usagi's eyes as she hugged onto her best friend. "I'm sorry, Rei-chan! I'm so sorry! I just don't want you to ever leave me! You don't know how lonely I was without all of you guys after Galaxia attacked... I never want to feel the same way again. If I don't say it enough, I love all of you... I really do!"

Rei hugged onto her best friend, keeping her tears inside, there was so much going on. She couldn't let her know when she figured that for now, she could handle everything. These visions, her letters to her father, her grandfather's condition, the extra work at the temple, they were all things that she could handle and when it was all fixed, everything would go back to normal as they had always been.

Yes, she could keep up this lie, and soon she could ensure that Usagi and her grandfather would be okay.

Everything would be okay.

If she listened to him, she was sure that everything would be okay and soon, all her friends could live the happy lives that they were meant to live.

"Thank you for worrying about me. There's no need, though..."

**Present Day**

**Running Around The City**

Rei had spent the following week avoiding Kuwabara and that entire gang. It was only by chance that on the eighth that she ran into Kurama on her jog in the morning.

The pretty girl ran across town, trying to clear her mind of Usagi and her memories of the last day before her disappearance, the story that she never told Chibiusa. There were many things that the cotton candy-colored haired girl didn't need to understand. Or maybe it was the opposite, could Kuwabara have been.

She closed her eyes, clearing her mind, searching for auras within the area, hoping to be able to sense either her best friend or Naraku. Even as she focused her mind on locking on his aura, it didn't seem to change anything. Either way, his power seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere. She could feel his presence, and yet no matter how much she tried to pinpoint it, her mind seemed to lose concentration every time.

Every time that she began to concentrate, their faces popped in her head, the sailor senshi whom all forgot their missions, their princess, and their friendship. She could see Usagi crying, laughing, smiling, and doing all the things that drove her crazy yet gave her relief. Then, the unexpected faces of Yusuke and Kuwabara came into her mind, those idiots who accepted this secretive girl who they didn't know, claiming her as a friend.

Those two didn't need to be involved in her business. They had no business getting close to her. She had to keep them at a distance, yes, that's how it should be done. If she were to protect them from getting involved in her problems, it would be best to pretend that they meant nothing.

"Hino-san, good morning!" Rei turned around to see a familiar face, a very handsome sweaty face.

She smiled awkwardly. "Good morning, Minamino-san." Rei responded formally, deciding that it may have been best to include him on the plan of people to avoid now.

However, it could said that both snuck glances at one another, surprisingly. In fact, Kurama had been checking her out some time before he said his salutations. Rei, in one quick glance, took a picture with her mind, but both smoothly acted as if they hadn't noticed each other.

Shuichi smiled lightly then started jogging side-to-side with her. "Hino-san, I hear you met Botan-san?"

Rei frowned slightly as she sped up her jog though he matched her speed. "Hai. I have..." She said, her tone slightly annoyed.

"She said that you were interesting, very pretty." He chuckled as he looked to his left where he could see Rei biting her lip as she sped up again, closer to a run than a job now but he still steadied his speed to her own.

Finally stopping, Rei pouted her lips and grabbed onto his shirt, frustrated. "How come you didn't tell me about her?"

Kurama's eyes widened and smiled lightly, a bit relieved by the question. "Hino-san... you really haven't changed much, have you?" He asked, stopping alongside her, taking his shirt off then squeezing the sweat out then throwing it over his broad shoulder.

Rei looked away, almost feeling like he had done that on purpose to show off his body. Her face slightly red, she tried to pretend to not notice his body. Still, it was hard to ignore a person with an eight/possible ten pack muscles with well-formed muscles that were usually hidden by his bishounen charm. It didn't help that he was eight inches taller than her.

"What do you mean that I haven't changed?" Rei asked, trying to decode his words.

Kurama smiled deeply, a smile that was more enticing that it should have been. "Tell me, were your cousin and Botan right about you?"

Rei crossed her arms. "About what?"

"Your feelings for me?" He chuckled, showing the cocky side that only she knew about from when they were younger. His green eyes sparkled.

Rei sighed. "I could have sworn that the rumor was that you were in love with me when you were younger; it was the reason that you talked me which in fact, it became the first time that I talked to my cousin."

Kurama smiled lightly. "Rumors are only rumors... unless you want to see where the rumor could lead."

A few less clothes and it seemed that both genderd often found it easier to flirt, even for those two. She could only giggle at his last comment, a smile on her lips. "Are we always going to use this introduction whenever we meet like this?"

Kurama's face became suddenly serious. "Only whenever you ask why I didn't tell you about a girl."

"Again, stop avoiding my question. Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"You never asked, and we don't talk the way we used to." Kurama answered although truthfully, he was sure that if they'd still hung out after Hiei had come into his life, they'd never talk this at this time of their life.

"Shui-rama... do you remember the real reason why I started calling you that name?"

To be honest, he was sure that they had gone over that before so he just nodded his head unsure if he was actually quite sure what she was talking about.

"Rei-chan, do you remember why we stopped being around one another?"

Rei shook her head as she looked away, facing the street. She was sure that once she became a senshi that she had let go of all other friendships she ever had.

He frowned. "Me neither."

"What do you think life would be like if we never stopped being around each other?"

"Maybe you and your cousin would actually learn to like each other?"

Rei playfully scoffed at his comment. "Minamino-san, you changed since we were together, you know that?"

"Same to you."

Keeping her eyes off of him, she laughed. "It's a shame... when I was younger, I wanted to be the one to change you, be the one that makes you smile, but now you have her and all your precious friends who did that all for you. I know it's weird to say, but I'm a bit jealous of them and how they could do what I never could-all those years ago." She said then paused as if in thought, then continued, saying, "Maybe... our separation was the best thing for us. We both found kindred spirits, people who loves us for us, people who needn't have secrets to keep though we still keep them."

Kurama side-hugged Rei, not saying a word, it was just like back then. He didn't know why, but he felt like crying as if he were losing something special. It felt like she'd disappear, and he'd never see her again. It always felt that way with her. "Why do you always say weird things?" He asked as she suddenly turned to him and just started crying into him.

"For some reason, I can only cry when you're near."

Over 1000 Years Ago

Kurama's Lair

"It's true, isn't it?" Mars said as she looked at the treasures and artefacts in his beautiful home, most being items that increased the user's powers in some kind of way. "What Takeru said, it's true, huh?"

"About me being a thief?" Kurama asked nonchalantly/

She laid down on his couch that he had supposedly stolen from a woman who made it so that one's power could be restored immediately however, it turned that she was just a crack... and it was just a normal couch made with the furs of animals in the ningenkai. "What else would I be talking about?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes." He again spoke nonchalantly as she stood up defensively. "Pipe down, little lady... it's not like I have the ability to take from your princess though if I could, I wouldn't take her physical possessions... it'd be her life."

Her eyes narrowed darkly/ "I am her guardian and speaking of her in such a tone could be considered..."

"What? Unlawful, is that what you want to say?" He quickly stepped her, his golden eyes soften with her in his arms. "Your friendship with me is against the law... and if they knew that your disappearance down below wasn't to search for your princess, how much trouble do you think you'd be in?" He asked with a cut throat tone.

"..."

"Besides, the reason that you want to continue living there isn't just because of the princess... it's the things up there, isn't it?"

"My princess is everything to me, but so are you and your family."

"Is that why you visited Takeru before visiting me today?" Jealousy seethed through his tone, his fangs showing.

Mars stood up and placed her hand on his face, her violet eyes sympathetic, "Kurama, you baka! When did you become so insecure?"

"Why do you choose everything over me?!" He yelled, throwing over some artefacts on the ground, breaking them by his sheer pressure. "You know why he left, and yet you choose to visit him almost as often as you visit me! You choose your stupid Moon Kingdom and her majesty over me! When will you ever just see me and no one else?"

"You know how I feel about you!"

"Prove it!"

"After what happened to your sister, your brother changed-he even went to find someone to change him into a dog demon rather than a fox. He no longer wants anything to do with this family! He's so lonely..."

Biting his lip, Kurama asked, "How is he?"

"He's doing better... he now goes by Inu No Taisho." Mars answered.

"..."

"..."

"Really... He's called Lord Big Dog?" He managed to find himself laughing.

"Yeah... I told him that it was a stupid name..."

"And you claim that I'm cold, saying that to a fox turned to just a plain ole dog with big dreams!"

Mars found herself laughing with him. It really wasn't all that funny, but the more they talked about it, the less the pain seemed to be there. Together, they could laugh. Together, they could be happy for just a few hours a day and then together, they could cry. Only together were they allowed to be happy or sad. No one was allowed to see that.

Even her princess who meant everything in the world to her had never seen her like this, without her guard up, without her complete seriousness, not even she was allowed to see that.

Kurama wanted to keep it that way.

**7 Months Ago**

**Hikawa Shrine**

"Transform, Rei!" Three of the inner senshi cried out at the same time, their voices in a panic.

Rei stared at her hands in fear of what she had done with her hands. This wasn't possible! All this time she planned to stop her vision and by her own hands, she'd cause the end of this world. "I-I-I remade a sailor crystal with my own hands, my own sister's sailor crystal... and it restored all my memories so that I could become my true form so that I could become truly Eternal Sailor Mars."

Usagi grabbed her best friend's hands softly, not understanding what she was talking about, feeling the energy getting closer to them. "Rei-chan, you have to transform... for some reason, I can't do it... there's an energy blocking my power." Her eyes were begging, pleading with her as she turned and saw the energy taking down Michiru, Haruka, then Makoto.

"I can't... I can't... My memories came back! I can't because I am a traitor to the kingdom... I gave the man power who made Beryl into the woman that she became." She held her head as the memories of her past life came rushing past her with her visions of destructions becoming more powerful than ever.

She had done all this to gain the power to protect them, but instead, she had awakened the man who had been cast off by her sister long after the senshi had fallen into their slumber, and now he was more powerful than before. This was the man that initiated Nehelenia's curse then was used by Metalia in creating the hateful emotions within Beryl.

"I am Eternal Sailor Mars now..." Rei said sadly as she looked at her hands, "I fell in love in the past, Usagi. I thought about leaving the Silver Millenium so that I could be with him forever... and I left for a year, nine months because I was pregnant with a child who would re-create my sister's sailor crystal, the crystal of Martian priestess, the shikon jewel... but that action, it took away almost all my powers."

Usagi's eyes softened. "Rei-chan, stop... please stop..." She turned around as she held her arms out, her eyes saw five of the nine guardians lay unconsciously on the ground. "You did nothing wrong. You did what I wanted to do back then!"

Rei ran forward, her eyes frantic as she tried to stop Usagi from going against this monster that took down her friends. "No, Usagi, stop! I'll protect yo-"

"How?" Usagi stared back blankly. "As you are now, you can't protect yourself... For once, my friend, I'll protect you... and I'll let you live the peaceful life that was also promised but taken away from you by me."

The man walked forward, his dark hair flowing with the wind, a smile on his lips. "Princess Mars, you should've killed me when you found out about what I did to Yami..."

"Onigumo?"

"You burned my entire body, made me suffer for some time, and even after I heard that you died, I couldn't stop hating you for what you did. The insult that you said to me-I wasn't worth killing, but you'd take away all my pride." He sneered as he walked over to her princess, a dark smile on his lips. His eyes stayed on Rei as he grabbed Usagi by her neck and continued to say, "When you were looking for answers, my spirit in Reikai heard your voice, recognized that faint aura of the warrior you once were... the aura that I forcefully stole away from you using your sister's sailor crystal."

"Let her go, please! She has nothing to do with the hate you feel for me! Take me, instead!"

He laughed as he pulled Usagi closer to his face, using his aura to push Rei back, the priestess falling back into a tree. "No, you're wrong! She has everything to do with my hatred for you. I realized, even back then, your weakness was her. If I tortured her, it'd destroy you."

Rei's eyes widened as he grabbed onto her shoulder bone, squeezing it as she screamed as nails formed from his hands and pierced through her."Oh don't worry... I made sure not to hit anything major." He haughtily laughed as he threw her onto Rei's body.

"Usagi, get up! Usagi! Please run away! Usagi!"

The blonde stood back up, her eyes kindly looking at her best friend, straightforward as it could be, wincing from the blood that leaked from her shoulder.

"They said that the moon princess was a crybaby, why aren't you crying?"

Usagi smirked. "You're four years too late if you think I'm going to run away and start crying especially if I have Rei here to protect!"

Rei tried to get up and help her, but his aura was so powerful, it was keeping her down.

"You haven't transformed either, have you?" Naraku laughed as he looked at Rei. "You see the crystal that you gave me in the past when combined with the shikon jewel is like a bad combination in a chemical experiment."

"What do you mean?"

"You took that crystal and the shikon jewel with you to the Moon Kingdom, didn't you... on the day of the fateful battle? The powers fused when you transformed, and with your aura being so strong, the shikon jewel wasn't sure on how to react... so instead of increasing people's powers, it nullified all of those in the Silver Millenium."

A sudden realization came upon Rei.

"You did the ultimate sin... you allowed your emotions to cloud your emotions. You forgot that the shikon jewel, even after your sister's death, contained all her feelings towards you. Like you did the Moon Kingdom, you betrayed her... in her final act to save you. The shikon jewel, I kept... because it was made to destroy you." He laughed again as spikes formed from his nails and aimed at Usagi, piercing her in multiple locations, blood splattering all around the temple grounds. "I want you to suffer like you made me suffer... and I'll use the shikon sailor crystal as it was meant to be used as revenge from your sister, Lady of the Mars Kingdom."

Usagi unexpectedly laughed. "You forgot that my mother wasn't completely affected by the crystal's effects, huh?" She placed a hand on his spikes as she grabbed her locket, a light shining all across the land, a powerful aura even in its weakened state. "You should've aimed for my death spot!"

Pink light energy flowed through the temple grounds, striking into Naraku, its power overcoming him as she took in a breath as she watched Rei crying behind her. "Silver Crystal, don't let Rei... don't let any of my friend's cry. Let them forget about me so they can live the happy life that was meant for them in this world."

Spikes still came out from Naraku though his body was deteriorating with the light of the Silver Crystal. "Daijobu! It's gonna be alright! If it's meant to be, we'll see each other again. You'll become Eternal Sailor Mars as you wanted, and it'll be okay."

"Sailor Moon, what do you mean? What'll be the purpose if you're not here?!" Rei screamed as she ran forward, grabbing onto her with all her might, hugging her tight, her blood seeping out onto her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm protecting you... and all my friends. I guess you can say that I'm returning the favor!" She giggled through tears, "Smile for me, please and say sayonara so that if I do return, I can remember your smiling voice."

Rei couldn't smile, not with this happening! How could she ask for the impossible in this situations?! How could she wish for her to smile just for her?

Then there was a ear-piercing shriek come Usagi and from Naraku at the same time then suddenly they both disappeared. In the wake of their disappearance, there was a pink fog with Chibiusa laying there.

Rei picked up the jewels that Naraku had taken from her, the rose and the shikon jewel, clenched it until the aura of the silver crystal faded almost completely away.

Then the five girl girls that laid there got up and barely said anything to one another. They didn't know each other or Usagi.

Rei was alone. She had no one.

However, it wasn't until later that Naraku hadn't left without leaving a gift, the gift of miasma within her grandfather, enough miasma that would make him slowly die.

She was alone and it was her fault.

Was this how lonely Usagi felt whenever she had been left alone? This loneliness came from her own selfishness, her secrets, this loneliness came from her sin.

Present Day

Sarayashiki High School

After having spent a week avoiding the sights of Yusuke and his gang, Rei had become accustomed to eating on the rooftop alone since Keiko had been having a break from student council

"You really are an idiot if you thought I bought that crap from last week!" Yusuke growled as he ran over to where Rei had been sitting, having kept in an area where she could watch his group from afar. "I've been dealing with a tsundere almost all my life, and you don't think that I could see through that stupid stunt?"

Rei smiled lightly as she continued watching Kuwabara and everyone else. "I didn't think you would." She laughed sadly as he walked over to her, his hands in his pockets, putting on his most thuggish face that he could put on.

"You've been acting weird since we went with you to your father's office... what did he do to you there?" Yusuke mumbled as she got up to look at him.

"You really don't have any secrets, maybe less than Kuwabara-san, eh?"

"What about you?" Yusuke growled back in response, "You're worse than Kurama! I mean, Shuichi!"

"So are you here to yell at me?"

Yusuke shook his head. "Kuwabara thinks that only I or Shuichi can talk to you... he said that no matter how much you say differently that he will always be by your side as your friend, and he'll protect you. He says that he doesn't want you to ever be lonely..." The overly-gelled haired boy said then continued, "He nor I want to see those lonely eyes that you had when we first met."

Rei didn't say anything back but rather sat back down, looking away, allowing her tears to sleek down her face.

"Thank you for relaying the message," she choked back tears before noticing that Yusuke had sat down next to her and wiped away her tears then to her surprise, he kissed her and she didn't pull back.

Gentle and sweet, the way that she imagined Shuichi's kiss would be.

It was wrong, yes, very wrong just like it had been when she fell in love in the past with the kitsune. It was wrong no matter how she looked at it, but she kissed him back though she knew about Keiko's feelings for him, but a part of her did it because she could imagine Shuichi kissing that girl.

She could see him kissing that girl, the girl that would take her place in his heart and he'd disappear fro her life like everyone else.

The priestess also realized that this kiss would be the fastest way to end their friendship because Yusuke was making a mistake, a mistake that he'd regret and he'd forget about being around her because of his love for Keiko.

The kiss meant everything and nothing all at the same time.

**Author's Note:**

**_This is my longest chapter so far... hopefully you all enjoy it. This is part one of two before an interlude, setting up for another part of the story. The next chapter will be action-filled, dramatic, and pretty cool before my interlude... Hiei will show up next chapter and Hotaru!_**

**_Please review as it makes me write faster! :D... It's funny this remake of my story "Fiery Rose" has so much more to it... It may not get as many reviews as the original did, but I enjoy this one much more. Hope you do too._**

**_Thank you for all your reviews and favorites, so on and so forth! Let me know what you think._**


End file.
